Queen Rania Draws Outrage After Comparing Israel to Nazi Germany

In a deeply controversial address at the One Young World Summit in Munich, Queen Rania of Jordan sparked outrage by comparing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to the Nazi regime’s treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. Her remarks were widely condemned by Jewish organizations and pro-Israel voices as an act of historical distortion and incitement.

Speaking to a global youth audience representing over 190 countries, Queen Rania accused Israeli leaders of using hate speech in the wake of the October 7 Hamas massacre and claimed they were “operating from a time-tested playbook” to dehumanize Palestinians. She specifically referenced Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s description of Hamas terrorists as “animals” following the massacre a comment that was distorted by critics to suggest Israel was targeting civilians, rather than responding to the brutal slaughter of over 1,200 Israelis.

Queen Rania then compared this to the Nazis’ depiction of Jews as “vermin,” igniting accusations of moral equivalence and trivializing the Holocaust.

“Every atrocity is unique,” she claimed, attempting to temper her analogy, but then added that “every human life holds equal worth” and that it was her intention to honor, not minimize, the Holocaust.

The backlash was swift. Pro-Israel organizations and Jewish leaders condemned the speech as an affront to Holocaust memory and an incitement that further fuels antisemitism already rising in Europe. That she made such remarks on German soil the birthplace of Nazi ideology struck many as particularly offensive.

Beyond the historical analogy, Queen Rania went on to praise the global anti-Israel protest movement as “the largest, most organic grassroots movement in recent memory,” and criticized those who choose not to engage in the issue as people who “can’t be bothered.”

She also repeated claims of Israel’s “illegal occupation” of Palestine, ignoring that Israel has adhered to a US-brokered ceasefire and withdrawn to a mutually agreed Yellow Line since October 13. Her remarks came as Israel continues to fight Hamas terrorists entrenched in Gaza many of whom were responsible for the heinous crimes of October 7.

Queen Rania’s speech was seen by many not as a call for peace, but as a provocative and inflammatory address that undermines the memory of Holocaust victims while vilifying the Jewish state. Such comparisons, critics argue, do not promote dialogue but rather deepen division and hostility.

Holocaust comparisons have long been classified as a form of antisemitism under the IHRA Working Definition, especially when they equate Israel to the Nazi regime. By invoking this imagery, Queen Rania crossed a red line that many believe demands an apology or, at minimum, a full retraction.

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