Prince William has voiced hope for lasting peace in the Middle East as he met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank in the first official British royal visit to the Palestinian Territories.
William, second in line to the throne, received a red-carpet welcome to the Muqata, the Palestinian government headquarters in the city of Ramallah, that included an honour guard and band.
“I’m very glad our two countries work so closely together and have had success stories with education and relief work in the past, so, long may that continue,” William told Abbas at the start of their meeting on Wednesday.
“My sentiments are the same as yours in hoping that there is a lasting peace in the region.”
On Tuesday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin publicly asked the prince to bring Abbas “a message of peace” and tell him it is time to find a way to “build confidence” between Israel and the Palestinians.
Rivlin’s position is largely ceremonial and in remarks released to the media after his own meeting with William earlier that day Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made no such request.
Read the article in The Australian (Reuters) and Weekly Times.