For many, Prince’s visit is a sign that Britain is no longer ashamed of Jerusalem
For 70 years, Israelis have watched Britain’s Royal family fly over their heads on visits to autocratic Middle Eastern countries without stopping in the Jewish state. Generations of Israeli presidents have extended invitations to Jerusalem, offering to show members of the Royal family the grave of Prince Philip’s mother, Alice, on the Mount of Olives or the sites of Britain’s First World War victories over the Ottoman Empire.
Each time they have been quietly rebuffed on advice of the Foreign Office, worried about exposing the Royal family to the treacherous politics of the Israeli-palestinian conflict and of upsetting the UK’S Arab allies. But that decades-long snub will come to an end this summer when the Duke of Cambridge touches down in Tel Aviv.
The shift reflects Britain’s deepening security and trade relationship with Israel as well as a broader realignment in the Middle East. Whereas Israel was once an awkward former colony with little to offer Britain except political heartburn, today it is a dynamic, hi-tech economy and a regional intelligence superpower.
Trade between the two countries is at an all-time high, rising from £4.2billion in 2014 to £6.6billion last year. And a royal visit may help smooth the way towards a post-brexit trade deal. British and Israeli security services also cooperate on counter-terrorism.
A royal visit to Israel might once have been met with fury in Arab capitals, but today many of those Arab states are quietly aligning against their shared enemy, Iran. The Israel visit is also being balanced by stops in Jordan and the occupied West Bank. So expect shrugs rather than anger.
Both Theresa May and Boris Johnson are deeply sympathetic to Israel and there is a sense in government that it is time to end an outdated policy of keeping it at arm’s length.
Diplomats were heartened by the success of the Queen’s trip to Ireland in 2011 – where she laid a wreath for fallen Irish republican fighters – giving them confidence that a complex royal visit to Jerusalem could be managed.
The Duke’s travels will be welcomed by the UK Jewish community with anti-semitic hate crimes at record levels and some Jews alarmed at the direction of the Labour Party.
The Holy Land is a volatile place and the Duke’s visit could end up scuttled by war or peace negotiations or even elections if Benjamin Netanyahu is ousted. But for many Israelis, the trip will be a welcome and long overdue sign that Britain no longer sees their country as a pariah.