Prince William Begins His First Official Middle East visit

Prince William on Sunday began his first official royal visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories in a five-day tour of the Middle East.

He will arrive in Jordan on Sunday, meeting Jordanian Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II, reports the BBC.

The Duke of Cambridge is scheduled to meet both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

During his visit to Israel, the Duke of Cambridge will visit the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre and lay a wreath to commemorate those who died during the Second World War.

He is expected to visit Jerusalem's Old City and the grave of Princess Alice of Greece, his great-grandmother and the Duke of Edinburgh's mother.

The duke will visit Ramallah in the West Bank, where he will focus on issues facing refugee communities, as well as meeting Abbas.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: "The historic nature of this tour is of course important and the duke considers it a great privilege to be undertaking the first ever official royal tour of Israel and the Palestinian territories, and to be able to help further strengthen the friendship between Jordan and the UK."

This is the first official tour of Israel or the Palestinian areas by a member of the Royal Family on behalf of the British government.

The Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have previously visited Jerusalem, but not as part of an official tour.

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In 2016, the Prince of Wales also visited Tel Aviv for the funeral of former Israeli president Shimon Peres. (IANS)