Britain’s Prince William will visit the Middle East for four days in late June and meet with leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority during the trip, a spokesperson announced Monday.
The 35-year-old member of the royal family will sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas when he visits the region in a few weeks.
The trip comes in the midst of minor conflicts between England and Israel. More than 100 Palestinians have died in protests at the Gaza Strip since March 30 after President Trump abandoned the Iran nuclear deal and moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“Now is the appropriate time and the Duke of Cambridge is the right person to make that visit,” the prince’s communications secretary, Jason Knauf, told British reporters, according to a report.
“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,” Knauf added.
The prince will meet Netanyahu at this residence then with Abbas at his office the following day.
The prince’s wife, Duchess of Cambridge Kate, will not join him on the trip.
