Prince William received a request from the President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, during a face-to-face meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
“I know you are going to meet [Palestinian] President [Mahmoud] Abbas,” Rivlin said, according to The Daily Mirror. “I am asking you to send a message of peace … And tell him it is about time that we have to find together a way to build confidence. To build confidence as a first step to bring an end to the tragedy between us that goes along for more than 120 years. God bless you.”
Rivlin also sent Queen Elizabeth his best wishes.
All eyes are already on Prince William, 36, this week, as he becomes the first British Royal to make an official visit to Israel. William is scheduled to meet Abbas tomorrow in Ramallah, about six miles north of Jerusalem.
Earlier today, William visited the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, Yad Vashem. Wearing a kippah, he laid a wreath in remembrance and was visibly overwhelmed by a display of victims’ shoes.
William also received belated birthday wishes from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting this morning. William will spend the rest of Tuesday playing soccer with youth activists for religious coexistence, meeting with the mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, and giving a speech at the home of the British Ambassador to Israel, David Quarrey.
His historic Middle East tour officially began on Sunday when he landed in Amman, Jordan.
In a statement before the tour, William’s spokesman Jason Knauf said, “The complex challenges in the region are of course well known. The non-political nature of His Royal Highness’s role — in common with all Royal visits overseas — allows a spotlight to be brought to bear on the people of the region: their cultures, their young people, their aspirations, and their experiences.”
