Prince William toured Jerusalem holy sites on final day of visit

Prince William toured Jerusalem holy sites and paid a pilgrimage to the tomb of his great-grandmother on the final day of his historic tour to the region. 

By: AP

Prince William toured sensitive Jerusalem holy sites on Thursday and paid a pilgrimage to the tomb of his great-grandmother on the final day of his historic royal visit to the Middle East.

The Duke of Cambridge’s Jerusalem leg is by far the most charged of his five-day tour of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories — the first official visit of a member of the British royal family — as he ventures into the heart of world religion and regional politics.

The trip has been carefully orchestrated as a non-political event, and the prince has been watchful in his words and actions not to stoke controversy as he met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and toured the region’s various locales. But the Jerusalem sites he visited are central to the century-old conflict and every step he took was closely scrutinized.

Prince William began his visit with a lookout of the Old City from the Mount of Olives in east Jerusalem. He then visited the nearby gravesite of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice, who saved Jews in the Holocaust and whose last wishes were to have her remains buried in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene above the Garden of Gethsemane.

He was then to visit a trio of key Muslim, Jewish and Christian sites before departing home to London. Prince William said he was particularly looking forward to his Old City visit that included stops at the contested holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, the Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where tradition holds that Jesus was crucified and buried.

Israeli politicians were angered his royal itinerary mentioned Jerusalem as being part of “the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” rather than Israel’s capital. Jerusalem Affairs Minister Zeev Elkin — who is running for mayor of the city in this year’s elections — called the reference a “distortion” that cannot “change reality.” His fellow hard-line Cabinet minister from the ruling Likud Party, Miri Regev, said it was “impolite” of the prince not to meet Jerusalem’s mayor in the city.

Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it. Israel considers the city, home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims and the emotional epicenter of the conflict, as an inseparable part of its capital. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as their future capital.

Britain has deep roots in the region, having governed Palestine from 1920 to 1948 under a League of Nations mandate. But it has since taken a back seat to the United States in matters of mediating war and peace efforts. The royal family has mostly steered clear of politics, and insisted the itinerary was merely reflecting the long-time, traditional vocabulary used by the British government.

The 36-year-old William, second in line to the throne, has already visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and met Israelis from all walks of life, from the beaches and promenades of Tel Aviv to demonstrations of high-tech entrepreneurs to swanky receptions with celebrities and politicians. He also visited a Palestinian town, where he met youth and tasted the local cuisine.

Miri RegevPrince WilliamZe'ev Elkin