The King and William's statements on Israel show their deep commitment to the region
It is highly unusual for the British Monarch and the heir to the throne to pass comment on a live conflict in another part of the world.
It’s unusual further still given this is a conflict in a region as volatile and as diplomatically sensitive as the Middle East.
But both the offices of King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales felt the need to issue statements today about the violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday afternoon, Buckingham Palace released a statement through a spokesperson saying King Charles "is appalled by and condemns the barbaric acts of terrorism in Israel."
The Palace said his "thoughts and prayers are with all of those suffering, particularly those who have lost loved ones, but also those actively involved as we speak."
A short time later, a spokesperson for Prince William and Kate followed up with their own statement.
It read: "The Prince and Princess of Wales are profoundly distressed by the devastating events that have unfolded in the past days. The horrors inflicted by Hamas’s terrorist attack upon Israel are appalling; they utterly condemn them."
You will note how both the King and Prince William‘a spokespeople called Saturday’s mass killings “Hamas’s terrorist attack” (note the possessive apostrophe) and “barbaric attacks of terrorism” specifically labelling the murders in southern Israel as an act of terror by Hamas.
I’ve travelled with the King – as Prince Charles – and Prince William and Kate to Jerusalem and the West Bank where they met people from both sides of the conflict and heard many of them talk how they wanted to live in peace.
The Prince and Princess made it to Ramallah in the West Bank and the King also visited Bethlehem on the other side of the Israeli border.
None of them was able to visit Gaza, because, at the time of their visits, it was under control of Hamas – designated a terrorist organisation by most Western governments.
The Prince and Princess of Wakes said today that those they met in the region in 2018 "overwhelmingly shared a common hope" that they could have a better future.
The King has also spoken to President Herzog of Israel and King Abdullah of Jordan.
He’s not getting involved in the politics but spoke to them as one Head of State to another.
The British Royal Family also has very close ties with the Hashemite Royal Family in Jordan, a country which is already home to two million Palestinian refugees who have fled the decades-long conflict.
The King has asked to be kept "actively updated" on the situation in Israel and Gaza.
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