JERUSALEM: Prince William arrived in Israel on Monday for the first-ever official visit of a member of the British royal family to the tumultuous region London once ruled. Arriving from neighbouring Jordan, the Duke of Cambridge landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport and then departed to Jerusalem, where he will stay at King David Hotel, site of the former administrative headquarters of the British mandate.
Three decades of British rule between the two world wars helped establish some of the fault lines of today’s Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Britain’s withdrawal in 1948 led to the eventual establishment of Israel and Jordan. Britain has since taken a back seat to the US in mediating peace efforts, and the royal family has mostly steered clear of the region’s toxic politics.
Though the trip is being billed as non-political, and places a special emphasis on technology and joint Israeli-Arab projects, William will also be meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and visiting landmark Jerusalem sites at the heart of the century-old conflict.
“It is the right moment we think for a visit to really shine a light on that relationship and show how strong the contemporary relationship is between the two countries,” said Ambassador David Quarrey. “The Duke is very clear that he wants to come and get under the skin of the country, he wants to get a feel for Israel. He wants to get a flavour of the country.”
The royal itinerary managed to anger Israeli politicians by mentioning Jerusalem as being part of “the Occupied Palestinian Territories”. Ambassador Quarrey insisted the wording merely reflected decades of terminology used by British governments. “It is important to emphasis that the Duke is not a political figure, this is not a political visit,” he said.
The prince arrived from Jordan, where he kicked off his five-day Middle East tour by meeting young scientists, refugees and political leaders. He was hosted by Crown Prince Hussein, 23, a member of the Hashemite dynasty Britain helped install in then-Transjordan almost a century ago. The pair later watched the England-Panama World Cup match together.
In Jordan, the prince attended a reception marking the birthday of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and toured the ruins of the Roman city of Jerash, a major tourist attraction his wife had visited as a child when she and her family lived in Jordan.
