Prince William to 'forever honour' commitment to Middle East peace

Duke of Cambridge first British royal to travel to Israel and Palestinian occupied territories

(Getty)

Prince William has reportedly promised to work towards lasting peace in the Middle East.

The Duke of Cambridge became the first British royal to travel to Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories when he embarked on a five-day tour of the region earlier this week.

The second-in-line to the throne toured a displaced people’s camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank before meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

The prince was greeted with a red carpet and bagpipe players when he arrived at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah.

He carried with him a “message of peace” from Israel's president Reuven Rivlin in an effort to rekindle relationships between the two parties.

Now, the Sunday Mirror has reported that William wishes to make efforts to help the delicate situation.

The tour came during a period of tension in the area - dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during recent protests at the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip in the run-up to celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

The paper quoted William as telling aides: “This is the start of something new. I will forever honour my commitments to the people I have met.”

Upon meeting Mr Abbas, William told him: “I’m very glad our two countries work so closely together and have had success stories with education and relief work in the past, so, long may that continue."

“My sentiments are the same as yours in hoping that there is a lasting peace in the region,“ the prince continued.

The use of the word "countries" was noted by many Israelis on social media. The UK government does not officially recognise the Palestinian territories as a country, and the royal family is ostensibly apolitical.

Additional reporting by PA