Prince William to visit Israel, Palestinian territories

Britain's Prince William is to become the first UK royal to make an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories next month.

The Duke of Cambridge will begin his five-day tour of the Middle East on behalf of the British government in Amman, the capital of Jordan, on June 24 and end in Jerusalem. He will also visit the Jordanian city of Jerash, Tel Aviv in Israel and the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

His grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, and father, Prince Charles, have previously visited Jerusalem, but not as part of an official tour. Kensington Palace said the visit to the region is being made at the request of the UK Foreign Office.

Alistair Burt, the UK Foreign Office minister, said that the 35-year-old's visit was an important and unique opportunity to promote diplomatic and cultural ties in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a historic visit and the first of its kind, adding that the prince would be welcomed "with great affection".

Prince William's tour comes at a tense time for the region. Earlier this month, the US inaugurated its first embassy in Jerusalem, despite Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem not being recognised internationally. Britain, France and Germany boycotted the embassy opening ceremony on May 14, which took place on the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding and was marred by deadly protests in Gaza.

It is expected that Prince William may visit the grave of his great-grandmother, Alice of Battenburg, the Duke of Edinburgh's mother whose body was moved to the Mount of Olives in 1988. He is also likely to visit Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust - Yad Vashem - in Jerusalem.

The prince will be travelling without his family, with wife Kate still on maternity leave after giving birth to their third child Prince Louis last month.