Prince William’s stands over Israel-Hamas war: What do you think?
Prince William will recognise the human suffering caused by events in the Middle East this week in a significant ramping up of royal duties. Prince William, 41, has carried out three engagements since his wife Kate’s abdominal surgery on January 16 but will resume a more fulsome schedule over the coming weeks. This includes a series of visits highlighting the anguish and torment caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.
William, who became the first royal to make an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories in 2018, will also recognise the rise in antisemitism since the war broke out last October. During his historic trip to the region, the Prince pledged to make peace in the Middle East his “lifelong project”. The heir to the throne will meet those providing humanitarian support in the region and will hear firsthand accounts of the situation facing those on the ground.
In a separate engagement William will head to a synagogue where he will chat to young people from a wide range of communities who are advocates against hatred and antisemitism. The UK has seen an unprecedented increase in antisemitic abuse since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors anti-Jewish abuse and attacks, recorded a 589 percent increase in the number of incidents in 2023 when compared with the same period in the previous year.
It recorded 4,103 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2023, the highest total in a calendar year reported by the organisation. Two-thirds of the 2023 incidents occurred after the first strike last October – 2,699, compared with 392 over the same time period in 2022. The CST said: “There is one key difference this time: antisemitic incidents skyrocketed in the immediate aftermath of a terror attack responsible for the highest Jewish death toll on any day since the Holocaust, before Israel had coordinated any substantive military response.”
Police forces across the UK saw a sharp rise in antisemitic hate crimes in the month after the Hamas attack. William and Kate were quick to condemn the “horrors” committed by Hamas after the terrorists launched a bloody raid on a music festival and border villages. A spokesperson for the royal couple said in a statement that the couple were “profoundly distressed by the devastating events that have unfolded in the past days.” King Charles also said he was “appalled” by and condemned the “barbaric acts” of terrorism in Israel.
William’s upcoming engagements mark the first time the Royal Family have responded to the conflict since the statements were shared at the start of October. In the four months since, more than 29,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and more than 69,000 wounded since the war began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. About 1,139 people have been killed in Israel.
Efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in recent days have been dismissed as “not very promising” by Qatari mediators. Israel has warned that unless Hamas frees all hostages held in Gaza by March 10 – which marks the start of Ramadan – an offensive will be launched in Rafah. A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “The Prince and Princess were profoundly concerned by events that unfolded in late 2023 and continue to hold all the victims, their family and friends in their hearts and minds. Their Royal Highnesses continue to share in the hope of a better future for all those affected.”
