Prince William Begins Mideast Tour in Jordan; Lands in Israel on Monday

On Monday, Britain’s Prince William will become the first member of the Royal Family to make an official visit to the state of Israel. He won’t be the first family member to infuriate his hosts. Israelis were angered when the official itinerary referenced his trip to “Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.” But the angst skyrocketed when it was revealed that if the Prince opts to visit the Western Wall, Judaism’s most sacred site, he will do so as part of his time shared with the Palestinians, exercising a royal dose of body language to embrace the Palestinian narrative. As expected, all of William’s stops will be carefully choreographed and non–spontaneous affairs, with virtually no unscripted interaction allowed. Generally eschewing politics through the spoken word if not via body language, the Prince will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife and with President and Mrs. Reuven Rivlin. On Wednesday, William makes the short trip to Ramallah where he will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.