LIVE ROYAL BLOG – Prince William in Israel – Day 3
Follow the Duke of Cambridge as he embarks on his historic visit to the Jewish state....
Journalists must remove any mention of Israel in Ramallah
Jewish News’ reporter for the Royal visit to the region, Justin Cohen, posts a simple reminder of the politics in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Justin is immediately asked to remove lanyards with an Israeli flag on ahead of the visit to the municipality building in the Palestinian city.
Duke visits UNWRA site
Prince William visits Jalazone Refugee Camp in Ramallah.
The Duke of Cambridge meets staff, patients and families involved in United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees’ (UNRWA) Child Vaccination programme.
Abbas tells William of hopes for independent state
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has told the Duke of Cambridge he hopes his homeland will be a fully independent state the next time he returns to the Middle East.
The two men sat down for talks a day after William was tasked by Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin with taking a “message of peace” in a bid to rekindle relationships with the Arab leader.
In his comments to the duke, the Palestinian leader reaffirmed his “full commitment to achieving a full and lasting peace based on a two-state solution where the state of Palestine lives side by side with the state of Israel, with both supervising peace and security”.
Mr Abbas went on to say: “Your royal highness Prince William, it is my honour to receive you in Palestine for your first visit.
“I hope this will not be the last visit … that your next visit will be in the state of Palestine when we have our full independence.
“Your royal highness, your visit to us will deepen and strengthen the ties between our two peoples.
Photo credit: Joe Giddens/PA Wire
“We are always in need of your constant support … in our just cause which has taken a long, long, long time and is not solved.”
The president’s comments are consistent with his position on the long-term resolution to the decades-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
He went on to tell William: “On this occasion, your royal highness, allow me to specify two things – number one, my full commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution where the state of Palestine lives side by side with the state of Israel, with both supervising peace and security.
“This is our position, I reiterate it today, this will not change…
“We are fully committed, your highness, along with you (to do) our best to fight terrorism, whether domestically, regionally and internationally.
“Therefore we have agreements with many nations on earth, including yours, to fight terrorism and I’m sure that this will be one of our subjects for discussion today. Thank you.”
In response, Prince William thanked Mr Abbas for his welcome and revealed his hopes for “peace for the region”.
Prince William meets with Mahmoud Abbas
In Ramallah The Duke of Cambridge meets Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Prince William meets tech stars
The Duke of Cambridge joined a tech and young people event at the Beit HaÕir Museum in Tel Aviv during his visit to Israel this week.
Shortly afterwards, he met with Israeli Eurovision star Netta!
Photo credit: Chris Jackson/PA Wire
OPINION: Prince’s visit and the unmistakable echoes of British-Israeli history
Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner reflects on the Duke of Cambridge’s historic visit to Israel, and what it means for UK-Israel relations.
“…As the Duke of Cambridge heads off into the Occupied Palestinian Territories today, carrying the message of peace from Reuven RivLin, the President of Israel, I can truly thank God for having sustained us and having brought us to this very special time…”
Read the full article here: Prince’s visit and the unmistakable echoes of British-Israeli history
Duke of Cambridge meets Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai
Prince William meets with singing sensation Netta Barzilai in Tel Aviv during the third day of his visit to the Jewish state.
Although there was no chicken dancing, the Duke shared a fizzy cherry drink with the singer, after a chat in Tel Aviv’s Rothschild Blvd.
Prince William visits Tel Aviv’s City Hall
Duke of Cambridge Prince William heads to Tel Aviv’s City Hall for the final leg of his Israel tour.
Later on Wednesday he’ll visit the Palestinian territories where the Duke will meet with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
Prince William attends garden party at envoy’s house
Duke of Cambridge meets politicians and high-profile figures at Ambassador David Quarrey’s house, including PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Bar Refaeli, Tomer Hemed, Tzipi Livni and Isaac Herzog
Wishing guests “Erez tov lekulam”, he told the gathering: “From the early stories of the kibbutzim; to the revival of Hebrew as a living, modern language; to the hi-tech economies that we see around us here in Tel Aviv – the modern story of Israel is one of inventing, creating, innovating, and striding confidently into its future.” That future, he suggested, lay partly in the message of projects like the British Embassy and UJIA-backed Equilizer programme which unites Jewish and Arab youngsters through a shared love of football.
Read more here:
Prince William joins UK olim and Israeli celebrities at envoy’s house for garden party
Read the Duke of Cambridge’s speech at UK embassy reception
During his historic trip to Israel, Prince William attended a garden party reception at the British Embassy, Tel Aviv.
Read the speech given by The Duke of Cambridge to guests:
“…The ties between our two countries have never been stronger, whether in our record levels of trade and investment, our cooperation in science and technology; or the work we do together to keep our people safe…”
Prince William visit marked with dedication of medicycle in his name by MDA UK
Prince William’s historic visit was celebrated with the dedication of a medical motorbike in his name by Magen David Adom UK.
The charity’s recent Pesach appeal raised enough funds to purchase nine emergency medicycles for Israel, one of which was inscribed to mark the Royal tour.
It is part of plans to raise funds for 70 emergency vehicles for Israel during the year of the country’s 70th anniversary.
Prince William to meet with Abbas – after Rivlin urges ‘message of peace
The Duke of Cambridge will meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas a day after Israel’s president urged him to take a “message of peace” to the Arab leader.
William will sit down for talks with Mr Abbas in Ramallah, becoming the first member of the royal family to visit the Palestinian Occupied Territories at the request of the Government.
After meeting Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s president Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday, William will have the opportunity to get to know the Palestinian leader during discussions in his offices.
President Rivlin asked William to encourage the Palestinian Authority President to take the “first step” with Israel to end the “tragedy” between them, which has existed for more than a century.
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