WarSclerotic

Britain’s Prince William, left, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meet in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (Alaa Badarneh/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain’s Prince William was greeted by an honor guard in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday before sitting down with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“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,” the royal told Abbas.

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

“The Palestinian side is committed to the peace process with the Israelis, so both states could live peacefully together within the borders of 1967,” Abbas responded.

Britain’s Prince William reviews honour guards before meeting with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on June 27, 2018. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)

UK Ambassador to Israel David Quarrey last week defended describing Jerusalem’s Old City as being part of the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” in the prince’s itinerary.

“All the terminology that was used in the program was consistent with years of practice by British governments. It’s consistent with British government policy,” he told reporters.

“The duke is not a political figure,” Quarrey went on. “He’ll be here to see a little bit of the country and to get to meet some of the people here.”

The Duke of Cambridge, the second in line to the British throne, is expected to later meet with Palestinian young people, and to participate in events celebrating Palestinian culture, music and food.

On Wednesday morning he met with Israeli youth and took a stroll down Tel Aviv’s famed Rothschild Boulevard with Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai.

Britain’s Prince William poses for a group photo with Jewish and Arab children at the Neve Golan Stadium in the Israeli Mediterranean coastal city of Jaffa on June 26, 2018. (AFP/Pool/Heidi Levine)

On Tuesday, President Reuven Rivlin asked William to convey to Abbas “a message of peace.”

Hosting the duke in his official Jerusalem residence, Rivlin said the Palestinians need to accept that Jews have returned to their ancestral homeland and that it was about time Israelis and Palestinians end their conflict.

Prince William — the first member of the British royal family to make an official visit to Israel since the state was founded in 1948 — also expressed hope for peace in the Middle East.

On Tuesday evening, the royal hailed Israel as a vibrant country that “thrives on innovation, diversity, talent and excellence,” and said ties were at an all-time high.

He also promised Britain’s support in the quest for peace between Israel and its neighbors.

“I know I share a desire with all of you, and with your neighbors, for a just and lasting peace. The United Kingdom stands with you, as we work together for a peaceful and prosperous future,” he said at an event at the home of the British ambassador in Ramat Gan.

On Thursday, the duke is to tour Jerusalem’s Old City, where he is expected to visit the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Al-Aqsa Mosque, though these visits have not been officially confirmed. He will also go to the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene to visit the grave of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice.