You have not been forgotten .. I hope our link grows stronger
BY RUSSELL MYERS in Ramallah, West Bank Prince William’s pledge to Palestine
PRINCE William told Palestine “You have not been forgotten” in a historic visit to the Middle East danger spot yesterday.
The Duke of Cambridge said at a
reception last night: “I am struck by how many people in the region want a just and lasting peace.
“My message tonight is that you have not been forgotten. I hope that through my being here and understanding the challenges you face, the links of friendship and mutual respect between the Palestinian and British people will grow stronger.”
William, 36, earlier met Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, in Ramallah on the West Bank.
He had been asked by Israeli president Reuven Rivlin, 78, to deliver “a message of peace” to Mr Abbas.
The 82-year-old leader thanked William for his support in “our just cause” as the Duke risked politicising his visit when he referred to the UK and the Occupied Palestinian Territories as “our two countries” – as Israel does not recognise Palestine. He also visited the UN-run Jalazone refugee camp and spoke to families.
Before the Duke crossed into the West Bank, he strolled along a trendy Tel Aviv boulevard with Israeli Eurovision Song Contest winner Netta Barzilai to the delight of onlookers.
Today he will visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives and the grave of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice, his father’s mother.