"United Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for 3000 years, and no distortion in the tour itinerary can change that reality," said Israel's Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Zeev Elkin, according to local media.
Elkin, who recently announced he was running for Jerusalem mayor in October elections, said it was "regrettable" that Britain had "chosen to politicise the royal visit".
In a briefing with journalists, Britain's consul general in East Jerusalem, Philip Hall, said such terminology had been used for decades, in keeping with United Nation's resolutions.
Israel declared sovereignty over Jerusalem in the 1980s, after capturing East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Although most of the world has resisted recognising Israel's annexation of the city, which Palestinians also hope to use as the capital for a future national state, US President Donald Trump recognised it as Israel's capital last December.
In a highly controversial move, the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem last month, alienating the Palestinian leadership, who say they no longer view the US as a viable broker in any future peace process. Last week, when Trump's son-in-law and special Middle East Envoy, Jared Kushner, visited the region, he did not meet Palestinian officials.
"We know the Prince is not coming to celebrate a peace process and the politics here are difficult, but this is not a political visit and it will focus on other aspects of life," said Hall.
Included in his packed schedule, in between the more high-profile meetings with political leaders, are events featuring Israeli and Palestinian youth in Tel Aviv and Ramallah.
The Duke of Cambridge will also visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Centre. There, he will meet Holocaust survivors who escaped Nazi Germany, arriving to safety in the Britain on the Kindertransport.
Other details of the Prince's visit in Jerusalem have been withheld for security reasons, but he is expected to visit the city's holy sites during his stay.
Asked why the royal family decided it was time to visit this region now, Hall said that all three governments had "been happy to issue an invitation, and the Duke, at this stage of his career, was ready and able to engage in such a high profile trip".
When he was in Jordan, Prince William met students, as well as Syrian and Palestinian refugees.
Kensington Palace tweeted photos of Prince William watching England's World Cup football match against Panama with Jordan's heir to the throne, Crown Prince Hussein, son of King Abdullah II.
