Prince William Calls Palestine A ‘Country’ In Meeting With Mahmoud Abbas
Image by Getty Images
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Britain’s Prince William described the Palestinian Authority as a country while making the first visit by a member of the royal family there.
“I’m very glad our two countries work so closely together and have had success stories with education and relief work in the past, so long may that continue,” the prince told P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he was greeted by an honor guard.
In Ramallah The Duke of Cambridge meets Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. pic.twitter.com/5rpouknxb3
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 27, 2018
The prince’s use of the term country to describe the P.A. raised some eyebrows in Israel, though Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not comment on it.
On Wednesday evening at the British consul general’s residence in Jerusalem, William told the Palestinian guests: “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.”
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
