New details about the Prince of Wales’s upcoming visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories were released by Clarence House on Monday.
Prince Charles will visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories from Thursday, 23 January to Friday, 24 January. While in Israel, Prince Charles will attend the World Holocaust Forum at the invitation of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
The World Holocaust Forum will mark a poignant and solemn anniversary this year: the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
On its website, the Forum Foundation notes that “In these times of upheaval, commemorating the Holocaust and emphasising the urgency of joining forces against antisemitism and racism is of crucial importance. More than ever, the world cannot afford to forget where hatred and extremism can lead. More than ever, world leaders must renew their commitment to stand up against antisemitism and prejudice and to ensure that such tragedy never happens again.”
The topic for the fifth World Holocaust Forum is antisemitism, and Prince Charles is just one of many world leaders who will attend the World Holocaust Forum. The presidents of France, Germany, Russia and Italy have also confirmed their attendance.
Prince Charles has been confirmed as one of only a few international visitors who will speak at the World Holocaust Forum. He will also lay a wreath on behalf of the United Kingdom.
“It is a great honour for us that Prince Charles will be attending the Fifth World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem in January,” said Dr Moshe Kantor, the President of the World Holocaust Forum, in a statement in December.
“Prince Charles is a figure of strong moral authority and has long been recognised as a leading voice against intolerance, hate and antisemitism.
“That Prince Charles has chosen to attend our unprecedented conference on Holocaust remembrance and against antisemitism on his first official visit to Israel speaks volumes.”
During his visit to Israel on 23 January, Prince Charles will also meet with President Rivlin at his official residence, and “undertake a number of engagements in Israel focused on his deep interest in Jewish faith and culture and on the vibrancy of the U.K. – Israel relationship,” per Clarence House.
The next day, Prince Charles will visit Bethlehem and will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and will “carry out a number of engagements reflecting Bethlehem’s historic religious significance.”
This two-day visit will mark the first official visit by Prince Charles to Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories, though he has visited Jerusalem twice in the past on behalf of The Queen to attend “the funeral of President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, respectively” in 2016 and 1995.
The Duchess of Cornwall will not join her husband on this visit as she will make her own official visit to Poland on 27 January to attend a service at Auschwitz-Birkenau on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
According to Clarence House, approximately 200 Auschwitz and Holocaust survivors will take part in the service.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, King Felipe, and Crown Princess Victoria are also confirmed to attend the service.
