Prince William became the first royal who made official visit Israel
Prince William's arrival in Tel Aviv marked a historic moment for Israel and the British Royal family
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and second in line to the British Throne has been touring the Middle East as a representative of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and his visit has been chronicled by Kensington Palace on Twitter.
The Prince's Middle East tour started in Jordan, where William worked on cementing the bonds between the two royal houses and strengthening his friendship with Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein.
The Prince's visit to Israel ends a 70-year unofficial boycott, and he is the first member of the British Royal house to step foot on Israeli soil since the founding of the state in 1948.
The Prince arrived in Tel Aviv aboard a Royal Air Force jet on the 25th od June 2018. He met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and spoke about cooperation between the two nations in the economy, in science and on security issues.
“The complex challenges in the region are of course well known. The non-political nature of His Royal Highness’s role — in common with all Royal visits overseas — allows a spotlight to be brought to bear on the people of the region."
Jason Knauf, Spokesman for the Duke of Cambridge
The Duke of Cambridge visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and the Mount of Olives and met Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of Palestine in Ramallah.
Prince William will be visiting the disputed city of Jerusalem, divided between Palestine and Israel, and home to three of the world's great religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The Duke of Cambridge will be spending 3 days in the region and is scheduled to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Some controversy has been raised over this since the monument is in what are deemed to be “Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
The Prince's gesture is seen as an extension of the hand of friendship towards the Middle East by the United Kingdom. Though the Royal Family is traditionally politically neutral, this visit could be seen as a diplomatic mission carried out by the man who will one day be King of one of the wealthiest nations on earth.