Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 25 June 2018

Prince William on historic Mideast trip, praises Jordan ties

By KARIN LAUB In Jordan, the prince was facturing, supported by the
Associated Press hosted by Crown Prince Crown Prince Foundation.
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Hussein, 23, a member of Students from the Hussein
Britain’s Prince William on the Hashemite dynasty Brit- Technical University pre-
Sunday praised “historic ain helped install in then- sented some of their proj-
ties and friendship” with Transjordan almost a cen- ects, including a multi-axis
Jordan and the kingdom’s tury ago. The pair capped robotic arm and a paint
commitment to Syrian and the day Sunday by watch- robot. William was given a
Palestinian refugees, as he ing England’s World Cup wooden shield decorated
began a historic five-day match against Panama with the crest of Aston Villa.
tour that also includes Israel which the heir to the Jor- At a reception later Sunday
and the Palestinian territo- danian throne had record- marking the birthday of his
ries. ed earlier, Press Association grandmother, Queen Eliza-
Though billed as non-polit- said. William is president of beth II, he praised Jordan’s
ical, it’s a high-profile visit Britain’s Football Associa- resilience as it absorbed
for William, 36, second in tion and an avid supporter waves of refugees over the
line to the throne. He is of the Aston Villa football decades.
meeting with young scien- club. “The way in which you
tists, refugees and political After William’s arrival Sun- opened your doors to Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein, right, receives Britain’s Prince
leaders in a tumultuous re- day afternoon, the two hundreds of thousands of William after his arrival at Marka Airport in Amman, Jordan,
gion Britain controlled be- princes visited a technol- refugees from Syria, not to Sunday, June 24, 2018.
tween the two world wars. ogy lab for digital manu- mention your longstanding Associated Press
commitments to Palestin- ash archaeological site. tor, home to sites sacred
ian refugees, is remark- On Monday evening, the to Jews, Christians and
able,” he said. prince leaves for Jerusalem Muslims, as an inseparable
He said his wife Kate is “very for the first-ever official visit part of its capital. Palestin-
sorry” that she was not able by a member of the royal ians seek east Jerusalem as
to join him on the trip so family to Israel and the Pal- the capital of a future state
soon after the April birth of estinian territories. they hope will also include
their son, Louis. He’ll meet with Israeli Prime the West Bank and Gaza
He noted that she had Minister Benjamin Netanya- Strip.
spent almost three years as hu in Jerusalem and Pales- Hanan Ashrawi, a senior
a child in Jordan, when her tinian President Mahmoud official of the Palestine Lib-
father worked in Amman Abbas in the West Bank city eration Organization, said
for British Airways. of Ramallah at a time of she welcomes William’s
William said that her family widening rifts between the visit to the West Bank as a
“remembers very fondly” two sides. chance to see Palestinian
the stay in Jordan, adding The Israeli-Palestinian con- reality under Israeli occu-
that the positive experi- flict typically looms large, pation first hand. “This visit
ence is not unique. even during largely cer- is the first of its kind and
“The interchange between emonious visits, and Wil- represents an opportunity
our two countries is real and liam will have to maneuver to enhance relations be-
it’s deep,” he said. “Work, carefully to avoid missteps. tween Prince William and
study, tourism and family Last week, an Israeli Cabi- the Palestinian people on
links. Our historic ties and net minister complained all the levels,” she said.
friendship are played out about the royal itinerary’s William is visiting a region
in the lives of thousands of reference to Jerusalem as where three decades of
people who consider both part of the “Occupied Pal- British rule between the two
countries home.” estinian Territories,” calling world wars helped estab-
In two days in the kingdom, it a distortion of reality. lish some of the fault lines
the prince will also tour a Israel captured east Jerusa- of today’s Israeli-Palestin-
vocational training college lem from Jordan in the 1967 ian conflict. Britain’s with-
with links to Britain’s Middle- Mideast war and annexed drawal from the region af-
sex University, meet Syrian it in a move not interna- ter World War II led to the
refugee children and tour tionally recognized. Israel eventual establishment of
the Roman ruins of the Jer- considers the eastern sec- Israel and Jordan.q