The first ever official royal visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories will be made by Prince William this summer, Kensington Palace has said in an announcement that is already causing diplomatic tensions in the region. The Prince will also visit Jordan.
The Queen has never visited Israel or the Palestinian territories.
The Duke of Cambridge has never been to the region before and will be going without his wife Katherine, who is due to give birth to her third child in April.
Kensington Palace said that the visit had been requested by Theresa May's government and had been welcomed by the leaders of the countries involved.
The last royal visit to Israel came when the Prince of Wales attended the state memorial for President Shimon Peres on September 30, 2016. While in Jerusalem, he paid a secret visit to the grave of his paternal grandmother at the Church of Mary Magdalene at the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem.
A controversial letter he penned in 1986 stirred unrest when it came to light in November 2017, revealing that he blamed the 'influx of foreign Jews' for tension in the Middle East, and said he wished that the US president to stand up to the 'Jewish lobby'. The letter was revealed by the Mail on Sunday.
Prince Charles also visited Jordan on an official visit from February 7 to 9, 2015.
The most recent visit to the Palestinian occupied territories was on December 15, 2007, when the Duke of Gloucester went to the St John Eye Clinic.
The Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt wrote on Twitter: 'Welcome news that HRH The Duke of Cambridge will visit Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories later this year. Important and unique opportunity to promote diplomatic and cultural ties in the region.'
The announcement is making major headlines in the region.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz pointed out that while the Hebrew-language press release announcing the visit referred to the 'Palestinian Authority, a tweet released by the Kensington Palace's official Twitter handle referred to the 'Occupied Palestinian Territories'. The British Embassy clarified that the translation is consistent with their terminology, Haaretz reported.
Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the 'historic' visit. 'We welcome the announcement on the arrival of Prince William to Israel. This is a historic visit, the first of its kind, and it will be greeted here with great affection,' he said. 'I have instructed the foreign ministry director general to coordinate the preparations ahead of the visit in order to ensure its success.'
Last May, Israel's president Reuven Rivlin reiterated in a meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, that the Queen had an open invitation to make her first visit to Israel, joking that it was 'only' a five-hour flight from the UK.
