Prince William refers to PA as a ‘country’ in meeting with Abbas June 27, 2018Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge (AP/ Daniel Leal-Olivas)(AP/ Daniel Leal-Olivas)Prince William refers to PA as a ‘country’ in meeting with Abbas Tweet WhatsApp Email https://worldisraelnews.com/prince-william-refers-to-pa-as-a-country-in-meeting-with-abbas/ Email Print Prince William met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday and inexplicably referred to the Palestinian Authority as a “country.”By: World Israel News StaffBritain’s Prince William traveled to Ramallah on Wednesday, meeting with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.Abbas used the meeting to press the prince for support on various Palestinian political issues.William, who has attempted to avoid bot-button politic issues, lauded ties between Britain and the Palestinians.“I’m very glad that our two countries work so closely together and have had success stories with education and relief work,” he said.Notwithstanding the prince’s reference to the Palestinian Authority as a “country,” the international community has traditionally refrained from referring to Palestinian-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria as a “country,” a designation that is seen as inappropriate.Israel opposes the Palestinians’ attempts to unilaterally declare themselves a a nation without engaging in the type of meaningful peace negotiations to which they have obligated themselves.At the United Nations, a body with a demonstrated anti-Israel bias, the Palestinians have only succeeded in securing “observer status,” with the UN refusing to officially recognize the Palestinians as a member state.The prince’s comment follows on the heels of a controversy that erupted last week related to an itinerary released for the official royal visit, the first of its kind since the founding of the Jewish state in 1948.Specifically, a Hebrew statement issued by the British Embassy in Tel Aviv last week announcing the visit said that the prince would visit “the Palestinian Authority,” while the English statement said he would visit “the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”Kensington Palace also announced that William’s visit to Jerusalem would be a part of his official visit to the Palestinian Authority, even though Jerusalem has always been Israel’s capital.
