Gaza

President Levin, Dean Lorimer, faculty, students… thank you so much for making me feel so welcome here at Yale. I’ve wanted to come here for many years, and am so grateful to everyone for the hospitality and kindness you’ve shown to me and my staff.

I’ve really been looking forward to seeing the Yale landmarks that I’ve been hearing about for so long – the Beinecke Library… Harkness Tower… Old Campus… Peter Salovey’s moustache.

Ayman is a soft-spoken 14-year old boy from Jabalia City, Gaza. His family is poor, as his father has been unemployed since March 2006. Ayman’s parents have already sold almost all their furniture to pay for food and schooling for their children. Recently, after collecting a governmental food handout, Ayman’s father had to sell the milk to get the money for the journey back home.

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” ... Article one, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person” … Article three, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Over the past 41 years, the people of Gaza have been living under occupation. Over the past 18 months, they have been living under siege. And for the past 10 days, the people of Gaza have been subject to a cruel and continuous military attack.

What do chocolate, cookies, A4 paper, potato chips, cumin, toys, jelly, nuts, dried fruit, nutmeg, and goats have in common? It's a tricky one. If you're a moderate, they have nothing in common. But if you are a hard-line Israeli politician, they are all potentially dangerous goods that could threaten Israel's security. It seems that side of the political spectrum has won the argument, as all the above are items that the Israeli government has prohibited from entering Gaza. It's understandable.

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Amman) - Calling for an emergency press conference, Monday, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah made an urgent plea on behalf of all the civilians living in Gaza, especially the children, for a “humanitarian ceasefire” and for the international community to do all they can to help alleviate the suffering inflicted during this humanitarian crisis, including “bringing in vital medical supplies, equipment and staff.”

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department -- Aqaba) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah met with local officials in Aqaba, Wednesday, to support their efforts in collecting relief packages for the citizens of Gaza.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department- New York) In an address at Yale University in Connecticut, on Tuesday, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah called for greater political courage in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Following remarks from Yale President Richard Levin, Her Majesty reflected on the desperate plight of the Palestinian people, underlining the deprivation and despair brought about by years of instability and stalled hopes.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department-Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah met with the Advisory Commission of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) at an extraordinary session, Tuesday, to highlight the seriousness of the financial crisis of the agency and appeal to the international community to increase their funding.
 

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department – Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah visited the Al Hussein Medical City, Tuesday, taking part in a nationwide campaign to donate blood and support the citizens of Gaza. Also on Tuesday, Queen Rania published an opinion piece about the situation there calling on readers to do their utmost to help alleviate some of the pain and suffering of the people of Gaza.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Istanbul) During a meeting hosted by Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah said the donor community should channel all their efforts through UNRWA to make sure that Gazans get the aid they need.

Queen Rania joined Syria's Asma Assad, Qatar's Sheikha Mozah, Lebanon's Wafaa Sleiman, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's daughter, Aisha, the Pakistani prime minister's wife and other prominent figures to appeal for an end to the two-week old conflict in the Gaza Strip.