Prince Charles to make first official visit to Palestine

The heir to the British throne will travel to the region next month

FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2019, file photo Britain's Prince Charles looks at the media as he arrives at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, a Sikh Temple in New Delhi, India. The Prince of Wales's office confirmed Wednesday, Dec. 18, that he would attend the World Holocaust Forum at the invitation of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on January 23. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
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Prince Charles is set to visit to Palestine in 2020, around 18 months after his son Prince William made the first British royal visit to the occupied territories.

Charles, who is heir to the British throne, will travel to the region to attend events to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The 71-year-old has visited Jerusalem before on behalf of Queen Elizabeth for the funerals of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and President Shimon Peres but this will be the first time that Charles has undertaken an official programme of engagements in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

“This visit will build on Prince William’s visit last year and allow The Prince to add to the many warm and longstanding relationships he enjoys across the Arab world,” Philip Hall, Consul General at the British Consulate in Jerusalem said.

The Prince will visit the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem on January 23 to attend the World Holocaust Forum at the invitation of Israeli president Reuven Rivlin.

He will carry out a number of engagements in the occupied West Bank at the invitation of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

The announcement follows a successful trip by William to the Gulf earlier this month.

The 37-year-old went to Oman and Kuwait on a four-day visit, which saw him venture into deserts and wadis to learn about how both nations are protecting their unique natural environments.

William visited Palestine in 2018, meeting Mr Abbas in the West Bank and touring a Palestinian refugee camp near the city of Ramallah.