Prince William Takes On Netanyahu

Prince William arrives to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the Office of the President, in Ramallah, West Bank, on June 27, 2018. The Prince of Wales issued a strong statement on the conflict in Gaza.

Prince William called for “an end to the fighting” in Gaza, “increased humanitarian support” and a “permanent peace” in comments that set him at odds with Israeli government policy.

The Prince of Wales risked ripping up royal impartiality rules by declaring a stance on a major international conflict.

He said in a statement on Tuesday: “I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed.

“I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It’s critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released.

“Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home.

“Even in the darkest hour, we must not succumb to the counsel of despair. I continue to cling to the hope that a brighter future can be found and I refuse to give up on that.”

The Context

Hamas launched the deadliest attack on Israel by Palestinian militants in the country’s history on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.

Israel subsequently launched its heaviest ever airstrikes on Gaza followed by a ground offensive, with the death toll among Palestinians reaching 29,092 as of February 20, AP reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry.

America and other nations have been pressuring Benjamin Netanyahu to change his stance on a ceasefire, and growing in frustration at his refusal.

Meanwhile, in Britain, Scottish National Party [SNP] politicians are preparing a motion in Parliament calling for an immediate ceasefire while the opposition Labour Party has indicated it would vote in favor if it can tweak the wording to a “immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”

The strained diplomatic relations—as well as the U.K. political context of an upcoming vote in Parliament—all lend a politically charged backdrop to William’s intervention in a context where the royal family is supposed to remain politically neutral.

What We Know

Prince William’s statement came shortly before a public engagement in which he was set to “meet those providing humanitarian support in the region” and “hear firsthand accounts of the situation facing those on the ground,” a Kensington Palace press release confirmed.

“Separately he will join a conversation at a synagogue with young people from a wide range of communities who are advocates against hatred and antisemitism,” it added.

There are several aspects to Prince William’s statement that strike a very different tone to Netanyahu’s public statements on the conflict, not least William’s suggestion that “it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home.”

Netanyahu has by contrast issued three requirements for a permanent peace in an article for the Wall Street Journal: “We must destroy Hamas, demilitarize Gaza and deradicalize the whole of Palestinian society.”

A prerequisite as difficult to define as “deradicalize the whole of Palestinian society” clearly places the prospect of a lasting peace somewhat further away than William’s more immediate focus on the scale of casualties.

Meanwhile, William’s reference to increased humanitarian aid into Gaza echoes the stance of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a call to Netanyahu earlier in February.

A Downing Street statement on February 15 read: “The Prime Minister said the UK was deeply concerned about the loss of civilian life in Gaza and the potentially devastating humanitarian impact of a military incursion into Rafah.

“He reiterated that the immediate priority must be negotiating a humanitarian pause to allow the safe release of hostages and to facilitate considerably more aid going to Gaza, leading to a longer-term sustainable ceasefire. For there to be lasting peace, Israel’s security must be assured.”

Jack Royston is Newsweek’s chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.

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