What William said... and what he meant
WHAT HE SAID:
‘I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7. Too many have been killed.’
WHAT IT MEANS:
Prince William reminds us that he and his wife have already voiced their ‘profound distress’ at the ‘horrors inflicted by Hamas’s terrorist attack’ last year. The new statement makes the simple humanitarian case that the cost of the conflict to civilians on both sides has been too high.
WHAT HE SAID:
‘I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to
Gaza. It’s critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released.’
WHAT IT MEANS:
The prince calls for an end to the fighting ‘as soon as possible’ but pointedly stops short of calling for the immediate ceasefire demanded by the Left, which critics warn could allow Hamas to re-arm. In a balanced statement he underlines the ‘desperate need’ to relieve human suffering in Gaza while also calling on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
WHAT HE SAID: ‘Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home.’
WHAT IT MEANS:
Again, the prince makes the humanitarian case that the enormity of the crisis demands that the world makes a renewed effort to find a lasting solution to the decadesold Middle East crisis. He makes no explicit reference to the idea of a two-state solution, which is now opposed by Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but stresses the importance of a ‘permanent peace’, which suggests a long-term settlement between Israel and the Palestinian territories.
WHAT HE SAID:
‘Even in the darkest hour, we must not succumb to the counsel of despair. I continue to cling to the hope that a brighter future can be found and I refuse to give up on that.’
WHAT IT MEANS:
The prince appears to have thought long and hard about whether to intervene in such strong terms. But, possibly because of his own experience as the first royal to visit Israel and the West Bank in 2018, and because the hour is so dark, he has decided the potential benefits outweigh the risk of being accused of overstepping his constitutional role.