jordan pulse -
His Majesty King Abdullah II has a speech during his visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial in the Rwandan capital, on Monday, in which he highlighted the importance of learning lessons from Rwanda’s experience in fighting the inhumane discourse that fuels conflicts.
“We have to hold on to our humanity in order to avoid falling into the abyss,” His Majesty said in his speech.
The atrocities witnessed by these walls constantly remind us of the frightening consequences of dehumanising the other. It reminds us that spreading fear and misleading information , in the absence of an international response, leads to the most uglie forms of deadly extremism.
Rwanda’s experience taught us that we have to fight the inhumane discourse that fuels conflicts.
Your story can be a beace to inspire us all; how your people have dealt with this major crime, and worked together towards reconciliation and healing the old wounds, to prevent a repeat of the genocide.
How many times have we said that we will not allow such crimes to be repeated, to find ourselves facing another conflict rooted in hatred and inhumanity towards the other?
About 30,000 in the Gaza Strip have been among the martyrs and missing during the past three months, the vast majority of them, about 70 percent, are women and children.
The number of child victims in Gaza has exceeded the number of child victims in all the conflicts and wars that the world has witnessed over the past year combined. Many surviving children lost one or both of their parents. We have a whole generation of orphans.
How indiscriminate aggression and bombing can bring peace How can they ensure security while fuelling hatred?
Without a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution, the world will continue to pay a heavy price for its failure to resolve this conflict, and we will never be able to enjoy true peace and stability in the Middle East.
This memorial teaches us that we cannot turn a blind eye of any conflict as its solution is out of reach, and shows us that respect, justice, and understanding can lead us to a better future.
It teaches the world that memory matters, that everyone must acknowledge the brutality of what was committed before we work to achieve peace, that restance to reality may amount to complicity, and that we must hold on to our humanity so as to avoid falling into the abyss.”
His Majesty toured the facilities of the Kigali Genocide Memorial Monument, and listened to an explanation from his manager about the collectables and exhibits telling the stories of the victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and the experience of Rwandans in overcoming this human tragedy and working towards their national unity.
His Majesty placed a wreath on the monument of the edifice, without a word in the register of senior visitors.
His Majesty was accompanied on the tour by His Highness Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed, the Senior Adviser of His Majesty King for Religious and Cultural Affairs, the Personal Envoy of His Majesty, the Director of His Majesty's Office, Dr. Jaafar Hassan, Director of General Intelligence, Major General Ahmed Hosni, and Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Youssef Al-Shamali.
His Majesty on the Rwandan side was also accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Vincent Berrta, and Minister of National Unity Jean Damasin Bizimana.