MENA Leaders Express Sorrow on Death of Queen Elizabeth, Pay Tribute to Her Leadership, Service

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog visited the residence of British Ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan and signed the condolence book for Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday night. According to his office, Herzog wrote: “On behalf of the State and the People of Israel, I express my deepest condolences on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose reign was momentous and historic. She was an icon of stability and beacon of morality in the service of her people. May G-d bless King Charles III and may he reign in peace. ‘The king by justice establishes the land’ (Proverbs 29:4).” Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid tweeted that the queen: “leaves behind an unparalleled legacy of leadership and service. May her memory be for a blessing.” Both the city hall building in Tel Aviv and the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem were illuminated with the Union Jack flag on the day of her death. Jordan’s King Abdullah II, whose mother is British born, expressed “great sadness, sorrow and deep affection” at the death of the monarch, and declared a seven-day period of mourning by the royal court. A statement by the Royal Hashemite Court expressed “the affection of His Majesty King Abdullah II and the people of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with this affliction, and to confirm Jordan’s standing by the United Kingdom and its friendly people in this difficult circumstance.”  The Lebanese government on Friday announced three immediate days of mourning and an additional day on the day of the queen’s burial. The Presidency of the Council of Ministers also ordered the national flag to be lowered at all public buildings.  In Morocco, King Mohammed VI sent his condolences to the new king, the royal family and the British people, saying Morocco has lost a “great and special friend, who was deeply respected.” In the United Arab Emirates, President Mohamed Bin Zayed also expressed his condolences to the British people and said that the queen’s “long reign was characterized by dignity, compassion & a tireless commitment to serving her country.” Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said the queen was “a model of leadership that will be immortalized in history.” The presidents of Turkey, Bahrain and Pakistan also expressed their messages of sympathy to the royal family and the people of the United Kingdom. On Sunday, the queen left her home at Balmoral Castle for the final time, as her coffin was driven slowly by road on a six-hour journey to Scotland’s capital Edinburgh. Charles III was formally proclaimed king in a ceremony at St. James’s Palace in central London on Saturday, during which he made a declaration of service to the Accession Council, a centuries-old body of senior British royals, and political and religious leaders. For the first time in 70 years, Britons and members of the Commonwealth sang their national anthem as “God Save Our King.”