The Duke of Cambridge has arrived in Tel Aviv as part of a historic five-day Middle East tour, on which he will become the first British royal to make an official visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

At the request of the UK government, the duke is due to meet Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, during the trip, which is seen as hugely significant for UK-Israel relations.

He is also due to meet the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah in the West Bank.

Prince William’s visit comes during a period of increased tension in the region. More than 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire during recent protests at the border with Gaza.

In Israel, the duke will visit the Holocaust memorial centre Yad Vashem where he will lay a wreath to commemorate the millions of Jews who died during the second world war.

He will also pay his respects at the tomb of Princess Alice of Greece – William’s great-grandmother and the mother of the Duke of Edinburgh – at the Russian Orthodox Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives. Prince Philip visited the grave in 1994 after he was invited to a ceremony to honour her work in saving Greek Jews in the 1940s.

In Ramallah the duke is due to attend events focusing on issues facing refugee communities and providing “opportunities to celebrate Palestinian culture, music and food”, Kensington Palace said.

The duke, 36, arrived in Jordan on Sunday, where he was hosted by Crown Prince Hussein, 23, with whom he watched a recording of England’s World Cup game against Panama. He visited the ruins of the Roman city of Jerash, a tourist attraction where the Duchess of Cambridge was photographed as a child while her family lived in Jordan in the 1980s.

Source: www.theguardian.com