Queen Rania Urges Global Youth to Meet Hate and Indifference with Hope at One Young World Summit in Munich

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Munich) - Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah reflected Monday on the fallout of Israel’s two-year war on Gaza, explaining how global inaction and indifference not only enabled atrocities in Gaza, but have also contributed to a resurgence of hate worldwide.

“Over and over, experts warned that, in Gaza, mass displacement, famine, and genocide were imminent. And, in the past few months, both famine and genocide have been confirmed by independent international and UN-mandated bodies,” Queen Rania said. “The world saw it coming, but failed to act to prevent it.”

“It’s not just Gaza,” she added. “Around the world, we’re seeing hatred seep back into the foundations of our global community. And the danger isn’t only in what hate destroys, but in what it reshapes – our moral compass, our sense of decency.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the annual One Young World Summit, held this year in Munich, the Queen described the “brutal transformation” the Gaza Strip has undergone since 2023, with entire families wiped out, and thousands of children killed, orphaned, starved, wounded, or scarred by trauma.

“The enormous task of reconstruction awaits. Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine continues. Its subjugation of the Palestinian people is ongoing. And a just resolution to this decades-long conflict, for both the Israelis and Palestinians , remains elusive,” she said.

Addressing an audience of 5,000 global youth from more than 190 countries, the Queen noted that Gaza’s impact has been felt beyond the Middle East, eliciting impassioned and visceral reactions around the world.

“Perhaps that’s because we’ve witnessed, in real time, the raw reality of what hate looks like when it transforms from a feeling, to words, to action,” she said

Queen Rania explained that hate has made a comeback in recent years, “rebranded” under different names. “Racism, repackaged as patriotism; supremacy as cultural pride; antisemitism and Islamophobia as free speech,” she recounted.

“But hatred is not harmless,” she said. “To dismiss it as ‘just talk’ is to ignore how every genocide has begun: with words.”

Highlighting the role that dehumanizing speech has played in some of the darkest chapters of human history, the Queen recalled how Germany’s Jewish population was once described as “vermin,” Tutsis in Rwanda labelled “cockroaches,” and Rohingya in Myanmar compared to “stray dogs.”

“Just talk – until hateful rhetoric cleared the path for unspeakable violence,” she said.

“In the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, when an Israeli official announced a complete siege on Gaza, he described the population as ‘human animals.’ He was operating from a time-tested playbook: Convince the public you are dealing with beasts, and violence becomes not just acceptable, but necessary,” Her Majesty stated. 

Recognizing the painful historical legacy of Munich, the Queen underscored her respect for Germany’s commitment to remembrance, and its willingness to “continue to confront its past head-on,” 80 years after the end of World War II.

“This is not about weighing grief or comparing pain. It is about affirming that every human life holds equal worth,” she elaborated. “Yes, every atrocity is unique, but the value of human life is universal. To defend that truth today, wherever it is under threat, is not to challenge memory, but to honor it.”

Underlining that history reminds us of the cost of silence, Queen Rania went on to explain that hate cannot make headway without “its silent ally and enabler,” indifference.

“Hate is given license by those who refuse to approach difficult issues, because they say ‘it’s complicated,’ when what they really mean is, ‘we can’t be bothered,’” she said. “But indifference is not benign either. It sustains injustice. It is a silent surrender to indecency, one small compromise at a time.”

Acknowledging that many around the world have been disillusioned by the war on Gaza, Her Majesty suggested that the last two years have also born witness to the birth of a renewed global pro-Palestinian movement, which she described as “the largest, most organic grassroots movement in recent memory.”

“Just know that hope is not naïve optimism; it is defiant courage. It’s what drives people to call for the freedom of a people they’ve never met,” she added. “It takes more strength to love than to hate. Bearing witness to atrocities is not painless. But heartbreak is the price of being awake.”

One Young World is a global platform that identifies, connects, and promotes young leaders from around the world, hosting an annual summit that convenes in a different city each year. Considered one of the world’s largest youth leadership summits, the event’s participants are invited to deliver speeches and participate in workshops and networking opportunities, as well as receive counselling by influential figures attending the summit.

This year’s four-day summit in Munich featured the participation of a number of distinguished global figures, including experts from the fields of international development, human rights, business, politics, technology, and conservation.