Prince William Visit Israel

WATCH: Prince William visits the Western Wall
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-prince-william-visits-the-western-wall/?
 June 28, 2018
 Print  Email  49 Comments
Prince William, accompanied by rabbis, visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday morning.
WATCH  1.2mins
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-prince-william-visits-the-western-wall/?



Rivlin sends ‘message of peace’ to Abbas through Prince William
https://worldisraelnews.com/rivlin-sends-message-of-peace-to-abbas-through-prince-william/?
 June 26, 2018
Rivlin sends ‘message of peace’ to Abbas through Prince WilliamPrince William and President Rivlin. (Itzik Belnitzki/TPS)
Prince William met with President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday, following a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial earlier on the first day of his royal visit.
By: Yona Schnitzer/TPS
On Tuesday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, to “send a message of peace” to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, whom he is set to meet in Ramallah on Wednesday.

“I know that you’re going to meet President Abbas,” said Rivlin, “I would like you to send him a message of peace. Tell him it is about time, it is about time that we have to find together the way to build confidence. To build confidence as a first step to an understanding that we have to bring an end to the tragedy between us that has been going on for 120 years.”

“There’s only one God, and we are letting everyone worship God according to his belief. All of the other problems have to be solved first of all with the understanding of both sides that we’re not doomed to live together, our destiny is to live together. We are destined to live together,” Rivlin continued.

Prince William, making the first-ever official visit to Israel by a member of the British royal family, avoided political statements, saying that he looked forward to but rather said he looks forward to “absorbing and understanding the different issues, the different cultures, the different religions, culminating in a visit, which will be very symbolic and very interesting for me, in the Old City on Thursday which I am very much looking forward to seeing.”

Rivlin, who was born in Jerusalem in 1939 under the British Mandate, told the Prince that he was born as a British subject and walked to school everyday on a street named after a British king.

“Your Royal Highness, I was born as a British subject, Rivlin said. “I walked to school every day down King George Street, but also past King David Street. We were here 100 years even before the Balfour Declaration, a declaration which helped the People of Israel, the Jewish people from all around the world bring to reality the idea and the belief that the Jewish people have to return to their homeland,” Rivlin said.

“This land knows about history and you’re writing a new page of [that] history,” he added.

Before his meeting with the President, Prince William held a short meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister and his wife, together with the Prince, met with descendants of Haimaki and Rachel Cohen, who were saved during the Holocaust by Princess Alice, Prince William’s great-grandmother. Haimaki Cohen was a Jew and former member of the Greek parliament from Tricala in northern Greece.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife gave the Duke of Cambridge a replica of a Righteous Among the Nations Certificate for Princess Alice, who was granted the title in 1993.

Earlier in the day, Prince William visited the Yad Vashem national Holocaust memorial, which he said had left him “profoundly moved.”

“I had a very moving tour around Yad Vashem this morning which really taught me quite a lot more than I thought I knew about the true horrors of what happened to the Jews during the war,” he said.
Prince WilliamReuven Rivlin


5 Lessons I Hope Prince William Takes Home from Israel
http://www.aish.com/jw/me/5-Lessons-I-Hope-Prince-William-Takes-Home-from-Israel.html?s=mm
Jun 26, 2018
by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
469
SHARES
5 Lessons I Hope Prince William Takes Home from Israel
Welcome to the greatest country in the world.

Prince William just became one of the few senior members of Britain’s royal family to pay an official visit to the Jewish State. Starting on Tuesday, June 26, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, will spend three days touring Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, visiting with Israeli and Palestinian politicians, and attending a ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.

His visit has already sparked controversy, and his every move seems sure to be scrutinized. As William tours the Jewish state, here are five lessons about Israel that I sincerely hope he takes back home with him to London.

1. Israel is the eternal homeland of the Jewish people.
Prince William’s trip is taking place at a momentous time in Britain, when the government has gone out of its way to emphasize its support for the existence of a Jewish homeland.

101 years ago, the British government declared its official support for “a national home of the Jewish people” in the land of Israel in the Balfour Declaration. In 2017, some called for Britain to disavow this century-old commitment. Instead of doing so, Britain doubled down on its historic support for a Jewish homeland in Israel. Sajid Javid, a British Muslim cabinet secretary, spoke for millions of Britons when he declared, “To apologize for the Balfour Declaration would be to apologize for the existence of Israel and to question its right to exist.” He said Britain would celebrate the Balfour Declaration “with pride”.



Prince William’s visit seems to be part of that spirit of celebration, at long last normalizing British royals’ relationship with Israel. When William visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem, he will be standing at the site where the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem once stood, the very heart of the capital of the Jewish state for the past 3,000 years.

Prince William’s visit will also highlight the urgent need for a Jewish state today. On his visit he’ll meet Jews whose ancestors fled from over 100 countries, all seeking safety to live as Jews in the Jewish state. When he tours Yad Vashem, Prince William will help memorialize the millions of Jews who were murdered just a generation ago because they had no national homeland willing to take them in.

2. Israel is a bastion of civil rights and religious freedom.
One of the many “Righteous Among the Nations” heroes memorialized at Yad Vashem is none other than Prince William’s own great-grandmother, Princess Alice. She was a daughter of Queen Victoria who married a Greek prince, later eschewed her royal family, and during the Holocaust sheltered her Jewish friend Rachel Cohen, as well as her two sons in her Athens apartment. After the war, Princess Alice turned her back on royal life and became a nun. She is buried in the Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem, and Prince William plans to lay a wreath there on his visit.

Princess Alice

When he does, William can’t help but notice the fact that Christians are free to practice their faith unencumbered in Israel, just like all of Israel’s ethnic and religious groups. In fact, freedom of religion and non-discrimination are built into the very legal framework on which the State of Israel was founded. All of Israel’s citizens enjoy this protection. In addition, thousands of Christian pilgrims visit the Jewish state each year. In 2009 Israel opened a historic 40 mile hiking and walking trail through Israel’s breathtaking countryside, incorporating Christian sites. The network of trails, information centers, refreshment areas and other amenities sends a message to Christians around the world that they are valued and welcome in the Jewish state.

At a time when Christians find themselves under attack from Islamist extremists in much of the Middle East – including areas under Palestinian Authority control – Israel’s freedom of religion and vigorous guarantee of all its citizens’ safety is more important than ever.

3. Israel is one of the world’s great tourist destinations
That’s the verdict of Travel and Leisure magazine, which rated Jerusalem one of the world’s top ten not-to-be-missed cities to visit. Prince William is staying at the King David, one of Jerusalem’s premier hotels. Although it’s known to history buffs as the site of British military headquarters in the area before 1948, and was the target of a 1946 bombing by the underground group the Irgun, the King David today is a “luxurious retreat overlooking Jerusalem’s Old City, featuring elegant interiors, spacious rooms, a fine dining restaurant and spectacular views” according to Britain’s Daily Telegraph.

In 2017, Forbes magazine ran an article titled “Why Israel Might Just Have the World’s Best Restaurant Scene”. With vibrant art and music, wonderful restaurants, world-class hiking and historical sites, and some of most spectacular beaches on the planet, Israel is a vibrant tourist destination. Word seems to be getting out: in 2017 saw 3.6 million tourists sample the pleasures of the Jewish state, a 25% increase in visitors from the previous year. The number of visitors in 2018 is higher than ever, and seems set to surpass last year’s record.

4. Israel, like the younger royals, is forward-looking.
Prince William and his brother Prince Harry have broken with a number of old-fashioned royal conventions and are charting their own paths in the modern, multicultural world. Prince Harry recently married Meghan Markle, a mix-raced divorcee who is older than Harry, something unthinkable for a British prince just a few years ago. Prince William’s wife Kate was born a commoner; the royal couple had to battle incredible prejudice and snobbery to be together.

Given his trailblazing credentials, it’s likely that Prince William will appreciate Israel’s forward-thinking sensibilities as well. Israel is the sole country in the Middle East that guarantees universal education, health care, equal rights, protections for minorities, and extends the vote to all citizens, regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity. A robust and independent press and independent courts ensures that Israel remains one of the freest and most open societies on earth. Ironically, although Israel is often bashed as an “apartheid state” and derided in some quarters, nothing could be further from the truth. Visitors to Israel, like Prince William, are sometimes surprised to find that in Israel all citizens enjoy equal rights and are generally proud to be a part of the Jewish state. As Sarah Zoabi, and Israeli Arab who appeared on the Israeli TV show “Master Chef” declared on national television: “I want to say to all the Arabs of Israel… We live in Paradise. Compared to other countries, to Arab countries – we live in paradise.” It’s a sentiment that many Israelis – including Israeli Arabs – share.

At a time when Saudi women are celebrating being given the right to drive for the very first time, Israeli women in contrast make up 60% of students completing a bachelor’s degree, 61% of students completing a master’s degree and 50% of students completing a doctorate. Israel’s Knesset is over 28% female, and 54% of judges in Israel are women. As Prince William will no doubt discover, that Israel is in tune with the modern world and its emphasis on human rights and freedoms.

5. The world is beginning to appreciate Israel more than ever.
Prince William has long been on the cutting edge of social trends, and his visit to Israel shows that the savvy prince can gauge public sentiment. While his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II has never visited the Jewish state, Prince William has seemed eager to go. His 2018 visit will coincide with a Gallup poll that recently showed nearly three quarters of Americans have a favorable view of Israel, a near record number.

In Prince William’s native Britain, public perceptions of Israel seem a little more complex. A 2015 survey about Britain’s attitudes towards Israel showed that Israel was seen both as one of the least admired countries by Britons, and also one of the most admired. Chatham House, a London- based think tank found that while some British people regarded Israel as the world’s second worst country (behind only North Korea), another cohort of Britons ranked it as the world’s 8th most admired nation. It seems that while some people in Britain really dislike the Jewish state, a large number take a more clear-eyed view, and appreciate Israel’s many admirable qualities.

Let’s hope that Prince William’s visit helps his compatriots – and people around the world – see Israel for what it really is: a vibrant, open, modern society that guarantees human rights and religious freedoms for all its citizens – a place where history is palpable, where visitors from around the world meet – and the eternal homeland of the Jewish people.

Pictures: Prince William on Temple Mount
British duke visits Temple Mount, accompanied by PA representatives and British consul in Israel.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/248151



"Jews don't belong to Jerusalem" - Prince William refused to meet the Jewish mayor of Jerusalem
https://www.freespeechtime.net/2018/06/jews-dont-belong-to-jerusalem-prince.html  
Prince William reportedly refused a request for a meeting in the capital with Jerusalem Jewish Mayor Nir Barkat. 
British Embassy officials reportedly told the Jewish Mayor that the prince would be "pleased" meet the mayor BUT not in Jerusalem (where Jews are the occupiers). 
The Prince agreed to meet with him only at a reception held at the British ambassador’s residence in Ramat Gan. 
Let's see what the media coverage will be when something like this happens elsewhere in the world. 
We have a suggestion for President Trump, when you visit the UK please refuse to meet with the Muslim mayor of London in London. Ask him to meet you only in Pakistan.

Prince William, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and second-in-line to the throne, is the first British royal to pay an official visit to Israel. 
The statement issued by the British Embassy in Tel Aviv said he will visit Jerusalem in “the Occupied Palestinian Territories.” 
Prince William’s Itinerary Puts Jerusalem In ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ to please the Muslim world after Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 
In other words, the British government and the royal family support "ethnic cleansing" of Jews from Jerusalem, simple as that. 
The demand of the Arab world and the Muslims who call themselves "Palestinians" is a state WITHOUT Jews, but the British government and the royal family do not seem to have any problem with that. 
By calling it "occupied Palestinian territories" Britain calls for mass deportation of Jews from Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. 
Political correctness led Britain to abandon its values. 
It’s regrettable that Britain chose to politicize the Royal visit.
The British royals and their palace handlers better start reading the Bible and study up on the 3,000-plus long history of Israel and its ancient capital, Jerusalem. 
Saying Jerusalem belongs to Palestinians, is like saying London belongs to Pakistan. 
Judaism was founded in the Land of Israel thousands of years before Islam was founded in Saudi Arabia by Muhammad. 
Jerusalem is mentioned 900 times in the Bible, but not even once in the Koran. 
There are no synagogues in Ramallah and Gaza and this is what will happen to synagogues in Jerusalem under the control of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. The royal family supports the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Jerusalem. 
As the only civilized nation in the Middle East, only Israel can protect the holy places of Jews and Christians in Jerusalem.

Sadiq Khan: 'I won't be Britain’s first muslim Prime Minister'

ITV London
Published on 7 Dec 2017
Sadiq Khan has ruled himself out of becoming the UK's first Muslim Prime Minister. The mayor told ITV London he has no ambitions to ever move to Downing Street or become leader of the Labour party. He's in Pakistan where diplomatic sources say his rise from humble beginnings makes him very popular in the country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=104&v=Kn1OGrANENs&ab_channel=ITVLondon





THE TRUTH ABOUT ISRAEL FROM THE MOST UNEXPECTED PLACE

I’m a Chinese man from a Muslim country hoping to use my lens to capture the truth about Israel.

The goal: impart a new perception about the people, the land, and the country of Israel.

The perceptions that this young man had about the Land of Israel could not have been more distorted from the actual truth.

A trip to Israel completely changed the perceptions of this young Chinese man.

He has such a refreshing way of expressing how wonderful Israel is and his camera work is exquisite.

Sometimes we need an outsider from the other side of the world to enlighten us about how special Israel truly is.
( He's speaking in Cantonese but there're english subtitles )
Via Outstanding Israel

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/22364?utm_source=activetrail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl
A history lesson for Prince William: Judea, Samaria, Oslo et al
According to the Oslo Accords, Judea and Samaria are not "Occupied Palestinian Territories", but "disputed territories" whose status is to be decided as the outcome of permanent status negotiations.
Contact Editor Ezequiel Doiny, 25/06/18 17:54 | updated: 17:26
Ezequiel Doiny (Flash 90)
The author is an Engineer and writer based in Maryland, USA.
More from the author ►
 The British ambassador to Israel on Thursday defended describing Jerusalem’s Old City as being part of the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” in the itinerary for Prince William’s upcoming visit to Israel and the West Bank.

“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,” Ambassador David Quarrey said./

This is untrue: According to the Oslo II Accords signed in 1995 between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (and brokered by the Quartet of which Britain was a member, )the 'West Bank' is not "occupied Palestinian territory".

Oslo II divided the "West Bank" into  Areas A, B, C:

Area A - under full civil and security control by the Palestinian Authority): about 3% of the 'West Bank'

Area B - under Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control: about 22% of the West Bank lands (but A and B have 96% of the Arab population).

Area C - under full Israeli civil and security control: initially about 72–74% of the 'jWest Bank' land, but only 4% of the Palestinian Arab population. All the Jewish communities in the 'West Bank' are located there.

Calling the 'West Bank' and Jerusalem's Old City "Occupied Palestinian Territories" is not "consistent with years of practice by Birtish Governments" as Ambassador Quarrey said. According to the Oslo II Accords "Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations."

And according to the Oslo Accords these territories are not "Occupied Palestinian Territories", but "disputed territories" whose status would be decided as the outcome of permanent status negotiations.

An anti-Israel legacy

The reason for Britain's anti-Israel bias is explained by Toby Green in his book "Blair, Labor and Palestine: Conflicting views on Middle east Peace after 9/11":

"Britain's imperial history in the region left an important institutional legacy in the Foreign Office...Britain maintained very close relations with Gulf Arab rulers, and there remained large number of diplomats learning Arabic and spending much of their carers in one of Britain's 22 missions to Arab States. By contrast there are relatively few diplomats with experience of Israel. Given the importance of contacts in the Arab World, a posting in Israel was for many years regarded as an unhelpful career move for a British diplomat...

In 2002, after a disagreement over a meeting with Yassir Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told British Prime Minister Tony Blair's envoy Lord Levy sarcastically that "the British Mandate is now finished", 

Netanyahu should learn from Sharon - perhaps only that - and respond the same way to those who want to take Jerusalem's Old City from the Jews. During the Jordanian occupation (supported by the UK), Jews were not allowed to pray at Jerusalem's Western Wall. Now, thank G-d, the Jews can pray there, and Netanyahu must tell the British it will continue to be that way. 

Boycotts against Israel are not new. In the past Israel suffered arms embargoes, a ban on the sale of North Sea Oil, and Arab boycotts on British and European firms doing business in Israel. Israel endured those embargoes yet it never gave up on its sovereignty over Jerusalem.

The creation of Jordan

To further understand Britain's anti-Israel bias it is important to consider how the British invented the Arab Kingdom of Jordan. British General James Lunt, a former commander in the Jordanian Arab Legion, related in his biography of Glubb Pasha “Britain had infuriated the Zionists by separating Transjordan from Palestine, which had in turn, delighted the Arabs of course.” (Glubb Pasha, James Lunt, Harvill Press 1984, page 62).

In 1916, before WWI ended, the British and the French signed the secret Sikes-Pikot agreement defining their proposed spheres of influence in the Middle East if they won the war. According to the agreement, France was allocated to Northern Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, while the British would rule over Palestine and southern Iraq.

In 1920, following the provision of the Mandate to France and Britain at San Remo, the UK took control of British Mandate Palestine (Mandatory Palestine) in what is today Israel and Jordan, land captured from the Ottoman Empire.

A secret deal

The McMahon-Hussein correspondence (1915) reveals details of a secret deal between Sir Henry McMahon, High Commissioner of the UK in Egypt, and the Sharif of Mecca, Hussain Bin Ali, by which the British would give control of lands captured from the Ottoman Empire to the Arabs (Palestine was included within the boundaries that were proposed by Hussein) if the Arabs assisted the British in fighting the Turks during WWI.

In 1921 the UK created the Emirate of Transjordan (Jordan) in the land of Mandatory Palestine east of the Jordan River and appointed Abdullah, son of the Shariff of Mecca, as King of Jordan. Britain also appointed Abdullah’s brother Faisal as King of Iraq. Jordan was officially under British Mandate Palestine and obtained independence in 1946.

In 1948 British General Glubb Pasha led the Jordanian Arab Legion to expel all the Jews from Hebron, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Not only they did ethnic cleansing but they destroyed dozens of ancient synagogues and thousands of Ancient Jewish Tombstones in the Sacred Ancient Jewish Cemetery of Mount of Olives to try to erase all evidence of Jewish History.

Britain was the only country to recognize Jordanian (not Palestinian) sovereignty over Jerusalem's Old City while it was under Jordanian occupation between 1948-67, this is not surprising, considering Jordan was a puppet Kingdom of the UK and Jordan's King Abdullah was honorary Air Commodore in Britain's Royal Air Force (1940).

One people

British claims that Jerusalem belongs to the Arabs are wrong also if one considers that while there is only one Jewish State smaller than New Jersey with a population of about 7 million Jews, Islam has expanded from Saudi Arabia to the 57 countries, member states of the Organization for for Islamic Cooperation, with an estimated population of 1.6 billion Muslims.

Jerusalem has always been the only spiritual capital of Judaism, the spiritual capital of Islam is Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Jews face Jerusalem when they pray, the Arabs face Mecca. 

The Palestinian Arabs already have a State in Jordan, the Palestinians and Jordanians are one people. On November 24, 2017 Petra, the official Jordanian news agency reported that “Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on Friday said that Jordanians and Palestinians are “one people living in two states”, appreciating His Majesty King Abdullah II, who spared no occasion to defend the Palestinian cause and Jerusalem before the world. The Palestinian leader’s remarks came as he received Amman Mayor, Yousef Shawarbeh, in Ramallah, in the presence of Jordan’s ambassador in Palestine Khaled Shawabkeh…”

As Abbas admits, the Palestinian Arabs and the Jordanians are one people, the Palestinian Arabs already have a State in Jordan. Since the UN claims the Arab-Israeli conflict can be solved though a UNSC resolution why not submit one declaring that Jordan is Palestine?

America has existed for 240 years. The Ottoman Empire Occupied the Jewish Homeland for more than 320 years, from the early 1500s until 1922, a period longer than America has existed.

The 'settlements' are not illegal: Israel has as much claim to Ottoman land as Jordan. The land was part of the Ottoman Empire before WWI. Israel and Jordan were both created from Ottoman land. If there is a UNSC resolution demanding that Israel return Ottoman Land, why there is no UNSC demanding Jordan return Ottoman land?

Why exclude Jordan from the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations? Jordan was created in British Mandate Palestine. Most of the Jordanian population is Palestinian Arab, the previous King said “Jordan is Palestine, Palestine is Jordan”. The Queen of Jordan Rania Al-Yassin was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents Faisal Sedki Al Yassin and Ilham Yassin from Tulkarm, Jordan has a Palestinian Queen, the next King of Jordan will be the son of a Palestinian.

If Jordan is recognized as the Palestinian State the Arabs currently living in Israel can remain, but they will be Jordanian Citizens. Jordan was part of British Mandate Palestine, it must also be part of the solution.

Ezequiel Doiny is author of Obama's assault on Jerusalem's Western Wall"

Prince William’s visit to Israel
Speaking during his historic first official visit by a member of the Royal Family to Israel, Prince William has said UK-Israel ties “have never been stronger”.
 
Prince William spoke of “Israel’s remarkable story” as “one of inventing, creating, innovating, and striding confidently into its future.” He said that “the ties between our two countries have never been stronger, whether in our record levels of trade and investment, our cooperation in science and technology; or the work we do together to keep our people safe”.
 
On the peace process, the Prince said: “Never has hope and reconciliation been more needed. I know I share a desire with all of you, and with your neighbours, for a just and lasting peace.”
 
BICOM’s report on his visit is here: http://www.bicom.org.uk/news/prince-william-says-uk-israel-ties-never-stronger/
 
BICOM CEO James Sorene analyses the importance of the visit here: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-build-up-was-dicey-but-prince-williams-middle_uk_5b30bb31e4b0b4221bcdc9af

Prince William And The Royal 'Settlers' Understanding Of Jerusalem
image: http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/images/recent/williamjune262018.jpg
News Image BY STEPHEN M. FLATOW/JNS.ORG JUNE 26, 2018
Share this article:
   
The staff of Great Britain's Prince William has set off a controversy by listing Jerusalem under "Occupied Palestinian Territories" in the itinerary for his visit to the region. 
The irony is that two of the prince's own relatives chose to be buried in that same territory--and surely would have scoffed at the idea that the "Palestinians" are the territory's rightful owners.
Ads by Revcontent
image: http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2350

image: http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2350

William's great-grandmother, Princess Alice, and her aunt, the Grand Duchess Elisabeth, are both buried in a small Christian cemetery on the Mount of Olives near the largest Jewish cemetery in the world. The Mount of Olives is in a part of the city that the Palestinian Authority calls "Arab East Jerusalem."

The P.A. says that area should be the "capital of Palestine." As such, according to the P.A., Zionists--whether Jews or Christians--have no right to be there. They're "illegal settlers."

Here are some facts. The cemetery where the two royals are buried belongs to the Church of Mary Magdalene, a Russian Orthodox Church and convent that was built at the foot of the Mount of Olives in 1886 by Czar Alexander II. It is located directly across the Kidron Valley from the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.

Princess Alice, who lived in Greece during World War II, hid a Jewish family from the Nazis and was posthumously honored by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations. Alice, who passed away in 1969, left instructions to be buried at Mary Magdalene cemetery. Her remains were transferred there in 1988.
image: http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/images/ads/TCC_banner1.jpg


Prince Charles, the grandson of Princess Alice (and heir to the throne of England) visited the graves of his grandmother, and her aunt, when he attended the funeral of Shimon Peres in 2016. But his visit to the Mount of Olives was undertaken secretly, without the knowledge of the public or news media, apparently for fear of offending the P.A.

It's easy to see why the P.A. would have been offended by Prince Charles' visit to his relatives' graves--and why they will be unhappy if Prince William wants to do likewise.

Any focus on the Mount of Olives is a PR disaster for the Palestinians. It reminds the world that one of the most important Jewish religious sites in the world is situated in "eastern Jerusalem"--shattering the myth that it's an all-Arab territory that belongs to the Palestinians. 

The P.A. and its media allies routinely call it "Arab East Jerusalem," but that's a lie. The Jewish people's roots in eastern Jerusalem go back thousands of years, long before any Arab claims.

Talking about the Mount of Olives is a public-relations headache for Arab propagandists for another reason. Anybody who takes even a briefest glance at the mount's recent history discovers that when the "moderate" Jordanians occupied it from 1949 to 1967, they destroyed thousands of Jewish tombstones, which they used for paving roads and building latrines in Jordanian Army barracks.

That experience reminds everyone how Arab regimes have mistreated Jewish holy sites throughout the century--a legacy the P.A. itself has continued to the present day, with repeated desecrations of the Tomb of Joseph in Nablus (biblical Shechem.) 

Attacks on the Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem forced Israel to separate it from the rest of the city with the construction of a security wall. When will the Jordanians and the P.A. pay reparations for all the damage they have done to Jewish religious sites?

The existence of the Church of Mary Magdalene is another PR headache for the Palestinians. It was established in 1886--at a time when no Arabs called the area "Palestine" or called themselves "Palestinians." 

It's yet another reminder that Palestinian national identity is a recent and shallow invention, created not because Palestinians are any different from Jordanians or Syrians, but simply to be used as a weapon against the Jews.

The founders of the Mary Magdalene church would have laughed at the notion that the land on which their church was built--and where the remains of Alice and Elisabeth were "settled"--is "occupied Palestinian territory." 

They know that the Bible they revere calls the territory the Land of Israel, not "Palestine." They know that the Bible repeatedly refers to Jerusalem as the capital of the Jews, and that Jerusalem is not even mentioned in the Koran.

The fact that Prince William's staff is calling Jerusalem "Occupied Palestinian Territory" is both a sad capitulation to Arab propaganda demands and a demonstration of their ignorance of the history of the city where two of England's own royals are buried.

Originally published at JNS.org - reposted with permission.

Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2350#ysrfJTPwzWJbz7fa.99

Dear Prince William …
https://clarionproject.org/dear-prince-william/…
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Monday, June 25, 2018 
 Prince William arrives in Jordan on the first leg of his Middle East tour (Photo: Joe Giddens-Pool/Getty Images)
Dear Prince William,
First I want to extend a true and hearty welcome for visiting me. Really, no hard feelings for not coming sooner (although 70 years is a long time to wait). Even though your grandmother has visited over 120 countries in her reign as queen, she never came here.

So, it is a truly historic event that we are experiencing being together. I have to admit, when you left after being with me for 30 years, I was reminded of that great ‘70s song “I Will Survive”:

At first I was afraid, I was petrified

Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side

But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong

And I grew strong

And I learned how to get along

“And so you’re back,” as the song continues. I can’t wait to see the expression on your face when you see how things have changed since your 80,000 troops high-tailed it out in ‘47.

I am become a vibrant democracy that successfully juggles the rights and demands of the world’s three major religions.

You could even call me a virtual beacon of light on that count considering the neighborhood I live in – bordered on at least three sides by radical Islamist regimes: Lebanon to the north, which is under control of the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah, Gaza to the south ruled by the terror organization Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to the east, which incites Islamist hatred of my people and indoctrinates its children in this murderous ideology even before kindergarten.

Still, I’ve become a self-sufficient, entrepreneurial, high-tech hub. I am happy to see that you will be experiencing all those things after looking at your itinerary.
There’s just one sticky point on your last day with me. You are planning to visit the Mount of Olives where your great-grandmother, Princess Alice is buried in the Church of St Mary Magdalene.

Princess Alice was a special woman who saved a Jewish-Greek family from the Nazis. (When you visit Yad Vashem, the famous Holocaust museum, earlier in your trip, you will see her listed as “Righteous Among the Nations” for this act.)

You will then go to one of my holiest sites, the Western Wall, I am told.

Yet your Foreign Services has listed your travels to these places as part of your “programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Jerusalem’s Old City.”

Perhaps, William, you could educate your Foreign Service office just a tad on this point. This was the land that has been my people’s capital for 3,000 years, the heart of my ancient national kingdom.

 In 1922, when you were administering this territory, the League of Nations mandated that you create a homeland for my people in this very same land.

After you unceremoniously left, leaving me to face sure destruction by my enemies, I miraculously prevailed and finally became a state again. Yet in the process, this parcel of land – the site of my ancient city — was taken from me and illegally occupied by Jordan.

So when in the war in 1967, I miraculously survived again against all odds, I merely took back what was given to me in the first place.

So, contrary to the notes given to you by your Foreign Service, there were no “Palestinian territories” for me to occupy. Palestine was the word used to describe Israel for centuries, yet the “Palestine” that the world refers to today connotes a violent regime, hell bent on destroying me, using any means at its disposal, including the cynical use of Islamist ideology.

I just wanted to get that off my chest so there would be no misunderstandings between us when you touch down tonight at Ben Gurion, my state-of-the-art airport.

Looking forward to a great visit with you!

Yours truly,
The State of Israel



5 Lessons I Hope Prince William Takes Home from Israel
http://www.aish.com/jw/me/5-Lessons-I-Hope-Prince-William-Takes-Home-from-Israel.html?s=mm
Jun 26, 2018
by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
112
SHARES
5 Lessons I Hope Prince William Takes Home from Israel
Welcome to the greatest country in the world.

Prince William just became one of the few senior members of Britain’s royal family to pay an official visit to the Jewish State. Starting on Tuesday, June 26, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, will spend three days touring Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, visiting with Israeli and Palestinian politicians, and attending a ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.

His visit has already sparked controversy, and his every move seems sure to be scrutinized. As William tours the Jewish state, here are five lessons about Israel that I sincerely hope he takes back home with him to London.

1. Israel is the eternal homeland of the Jewish people.
Prince William’s trip is taking place at a momentous time in Britain, when the government has gone out of its way to emphasize its support for the existence of a Jewish homeland.

101 years ago, the British government declared its official support for “a national home of the Jewish people” in the land of Israel in the Balfour Declaration. In 2017, some called for Britain to disavow this century-old commitment. Instead of doing so, Britain doubled down on its historic support for a Jewish homeland in Israel. Sajid Javid, a British Muslim cabinet secretary, spoke for millions of Britons when he declared, “To apologize for the Balfour Declaration would be to apologize for the existence of Israel and to question its right to exist.” He said Britain would celebrate the Balfour Declaration “with pride”.

Prince William’s visit seems to be part of that spirit of celebration, at long last normalizing British royals’ relationship with Israel. When William visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem, he will be standing at the site where the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem once stood, the very heart of the capital of the Jewish state for the past 3,000 years.

Prince William’s visit will also highlight the urgent need for a Jewish state today. On his visit he’ll meet Jews whose ancestors fled from over 100 countries, all seeking safety to live as Jews in the Jewish state. When he tours Yad Vashem, Prince William will help memorialize the millions of Jews who were murdered just a generation ago because they had no national homeland willing to take them in.

2. Israel is a bastion of civil rights and religious freedom.
One of the many “Righteous Among the Nations” heroes memorialized at Yad Vashem is none other than Prince William’s own great-grandmother, Princess Alice. She was a daughter of Queen Victoria who married a Greek prince, later eschewed her royal family, and during the Holocaust sheltered her Jewish friend Rachel Cohen, as well as her two sons in her Athens apartment. After the war, Princess Alice turned her back on royal life and became a nun. She is buried in the Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem, and Prince William plans to lay a wreath there on his visit.

Princess Alice

When he does, William can’t help but notice the fact that Christians are free to practice their faith unencumbered in Israel, just like all of Israel’s ethnic and religious groups. In fact, freedom of religion and non-discrimination are built into the very legal framework on which the State of Israel was founded. All of Israel’s citizens enjoy this protection. In addition, thousands of Christian pilgrims visit the Jewish state each year. In 2009 Israel opened a historic 40 mile hiking and walking trail through Israel’s breathtaking countryside, incorporating Christian sites. The network of trails, information centers, refreshment areas and other amenities sends a message to Christians around the world that they are valued and welcome in the Jewish state.

At a time when Christians find themselves under attack from Islamist extremists in much of the Middle East – including areas under Palestinian Authority control – Israel’s freedom of religion and vigorous guarantee of all its citizens’ safety is more important than ever.

3. Israel is one of the world’s great tourist destinations
That’s the verdict of Travel and Leisure magazine, which rated Jerusalem one of the world’s top ten not-to-be-missed cities to visit. Prince William is staying at the King David, one of Jerusalem’s premier hotels. Although it’s known to history buffs as the site of British military headquarters in the area before 1948, and was the target of a 1946 bombing by the underground group the Irgun, the King David today is a “luxurious retreat overlooking Jerusalem’s Old City, featuring elegant interiors, spacious rooms, a fine dining restaurant and spectacular views” according to Britain’s Daily Telegraph.

In 2017, Forbes magazine ran an article titled “Why Israel Might Just Have the World’s Best Restaurant Scene”. With vibrant art and music, wonderful restaurants, world-class hiking and historical sites, and some of most spectacular beaches on the planet, Israel is a vibrant tourist destination. Word seems to be getting out: in 2017 saw 3.6 million tourists sample the pleasures of the Jewish state, a 25% increase in visitors from the previous year. The number of visitors in 2018 is higher than ever, and seems set to surpass last year’s record.

4. Israel, like the younger royals, is forward-looking.
Prince William and his brother Prince Harry have broken with a number of old-fashioned royal conventions and are charting their own paths in the modern, multicultural world. Prince Harry recently married Meghan Markle, a mix-raced divorcee who is older than Harry, something unthinkable for a British prince just a few years ago. Prince William’s wife Kate was born a commoner; the royal couple had to battle incredible prejudice and snobbery to be together.

Given his trailblazing credentials, it’s likely that Prince William will appreciate Israel’s forward-thinking sensibilities as well. Israel is the sole country in the Middle East that guarantees universal education, health care, equal rights, protections for minorities, and extends the vote to all citizens, regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity. A robust and independent press and independent courts ensures that Israel remains one of the freest and most open societies on earth. Ironically, although Israel is often bashed as an “apartheid state” and derided in some quarters, nothing could be further from the truth. Visitors to Israel, like Prince William, are sometimes surprised to find that in Israel all citizens enjoy equal rights and are generally proud to be a part of the Jewish state. As Sarah Zoabi, and Israeli Arab who appeared on the Israeli TV show “Master Chef” declared on national television: “I want to say to all the Arabs of Israel… We live in Paradise. Compared to other countries, to Arab countries – we live in paradise.” It’s a sentiment that many Israelis – including Israeli Arabs – share.

At a time when Saudi women are celebrating being given the right to drive for the very first time, Israeli women in contrast make up 60% of students completing a bachelor’s degree, 61% of students completing a master’s degree and 50% of students completing a doctorate. Israel’s Knesset is over 28% female, and 54% of judges in Israel are women. As Prince William will no doubt discover, that Israel is in tune with the modern world and its emphasis on human rights and freedoms.

5. The world is beginning to appreciate Israel more than ever.
Prince William has long been on the cutting edge of social trends, and his visit to Israel shows that the savvy prince can gauge public sentiment. While his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II has never visited the Jewish state, Prince William has seemed eager to go. His 2018 visit will coincide with a Gallup poll that recently showed nearly three quarters of Americans have a favorable view of Israel, a near record number.

In Prince William’s native Britain, public perceptions of Israel seem a little more complex. A 2015 survey about Britain’s attitudes towards Israel showed that Israel was seen both as one of the least admired countries by Britons, and also one of the most admired. Chatham House, a London- based think tank found that while some British people regarded Israel as the world’s second worst country (behind only North Korea), another cohort of Britons ranked it as the world’s 8th most admired nation. It seems that while some people in Britain really dislike the Jewish state, a large number take a more clear-eyed view, and appreciate Israel’s many admirable qualities.

Let’s hope that Prince William’s visit helps his compatriots – and people around the world – see Israel for what it really is: a vibrant, open, modern society that guarantees human rights and religious freedoms for all its citizens – a place where history is palpable, where visitors from around the world meet – and the eternal homeland of the Jewish people.

Share this article
About the Author
Dr. Yvette Alt MillerMore by this Author >

Yvette Alt Miller earned her B.A. at Harvard University. She completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Jewish Studies at Oxford University, and has a Ph.D. In International Relations from the London School of Economics. She lives with her family in Chicago, and has lectured internationally on Jewish topics. Her book Angels at the table: a Practical Guide to Celebrating Shabbat takes readers through the rituals of Shabbat and more, explaining the full beautiful spectrum of Jewish traditions with warmth and humor. It has been praised as "life-changing", a modern classic, and used in classes and discussion groups around the world.
 

http://www.aish.com/jw/me/Prince-William-and-Occupied-Palestinian-Territories.html?s=rab
Prince William and “Occupied Palestinian Territories”
Jun 24, 2018
by Stephen M. Flatow and JNS.org
876
SHARES
Prince William and “Occupied Palestinian Territories”
The Jewish people’s roots in eastern Jerusalem go back thousands of years, long before any Arab claims.

It’s easy to see why the Palestinian Authority would have been offended by Prince Charles’ visit to his relatives’ graves in 2016 – and why they will be unhappy if Prince William wants to do likewise.

The staff of Great Britain’s Prince William has set off a controversy by listing Jerusalem under “Occupied Palestinian Territories” in the itinerary for his upcoming visit to the region. The irony is that two of the prince’s own relatives chose to be buried in that same territory – and surely would have scoffed at the idea that the “Palestinians” are the territory’s rightful owners.

William’s great-grandmother, Princess Alice, and her aunt, the Grand Duchess Elisabeth, are both buried in a small Christian cemetery on the Mount of Olives near the largest Jewish cemetery in the world. The Mount of Olives is in a part of the city that the Palestinian Authority calls “Arab East Jerusalem.”

The P.A. says that area should be the “capital of Palestine.” As such, according to the P.A., Zionists – whether Jews or Christians – have no right to be there. They’re “illegal settlers.”

Here are some facts. The cemetery where the two royals are buried belongs to the Church of Mary Magdalene, a Russian Orthodox Church and convent that was built at the foot of the Mount of Olives in 1886 by Czar Alexander II. It is located directly across the Kidron Valley from the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.

Princess Alice, who lived in Greece during World War II, hid a Jewish family from the Nazis and was posthumously honored by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations. Alice, who passed away in 1969, left instructions to be buried at Mary Magdalene cemetery. Her remains were transferred there in 1988.

Prince Charles’ visit to the Mount of Olives was undertaken secretly, apparently for fear of offending the P.A.
Prince Charles, the grandson of Princess Alice (and heir to the throne of England) visited the graves of his grandmother, and her aunt, when he attended the funeral of Shimon Peres in 2016. But his visit to the Mount of Olives was undertaken secretly, without the knowledge of the public or news media, apparently for fear of offending the P.A.

It’s easy to see why the P.A. would have been offended by Prince Charles’ visit to his relatives’ graves – and why they will be unhappy if Prince William wants to do likewise.

Any focus on the Mount of Olives is a PR disaster for the Palestinians. It reminds the world that one of the most important Jewish religious sites in the world is situated in “eastern Jerusalem” – shattering the myth that it’s an all-Arab territory that belongs to the Palestinians. The P.A. and its media allies routinely call it “Arab East Jerusalem,” but that’s a lie. The Jewish people’s roots in eastern Jerusalem go back thousands of years, long before any Arab claims.

Talking about the Mount of Olives is a public-relations headache for Arab propagandists for another reason. Anybody who takes even a briefest glance at the mount’s recent history discovers that when the “moderate” Jordanians occupied it from 1949 to 1967, they destroyed thousands of Jewish tombstones, which they used for paving roads and building latrines in Jordanian Army barracks.

That experience reminds everyone how Arab regimes have mistreated Jewish holy sites throughout the century – a legacy the P.A. itself has continued to the present day, with repeated desecrations of the Tomb of Joseph in Nablus (biblical Shechem.) Attacks on the Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem forced Israel to separate it from the rest of the city with the construction of a security wall. When will the Jordanians and the P.A. pay reparations for all the damage they have done to Jewish religious sites?

The existence of the Church of Mary Magdalene is another PR headache for the Palestinians. It was established in 1886 – at a time when no Arabs called the area “Palestine” or called themselves “Palestinians.” It’s yet another reminder that Palestinian national identity is a recent and shallow invention, created not because Palestinians are any different from Jordanians or Syrians, but simply to be used as a weapon against the Jews.

The founders of the Mary Magdalene church would have laughed at the notion that the land on which their church was built – and where the remains of Alice and Elisabeth were “settled” – is “occupied Palestinian territory.” They know that the Bible they revere calls the territory the Land of Israel, not “Palestine.” They know that the Bible repeatedly refers to Jerusalem as the capital of the Jews, and that Jerusalem is not even mentioned in the Koran.

The fact that Prince William’s staff is calling Jerusalem “Occupied Palestinian Territory” is both a sad capitulation to Arab propaganda demands and a demonstration of their ignorance of the history of the city where two of England’s own royals are buried.