Britain's Prince William, the Prince of Wales, listens as he visits the British Red Cross at its headquarters in London, Tuesday, February 20. The Prince of Wales undertakes engagements which recognise the human suffering caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East and the subsequent conflict in Gaza, as well as the rise of antisemitism around the world. Photo / Kin Cheung, AP
Britain's Prince William, the Prince of Wales, listens as he visits the British Red Cross at its headquarters in London, Tuesday, February 20. The Prince of Wales undertakes engagements which recognise the human suffering caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East and the subsequent conflict in Gaza, as well as the rise of antisemitism around the world. Photo / Kin Cheung, AP
Royal says ‘too many have been killed’ in conflict, with Prince William urging more humanitarian aid and the release of hostages. His intervention — which marks a departure for the royal family — was backed by British Parliament, and Israeli officials were caught off guard.
In a public statement, Prince William said “too many have been killed” in the conflict, urging more humanitarian aid and the release of hostages as he called for “an end to the fighting as soon as possible”.
Invoking Sir Winston Churchill, he said: “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.”
His intervention was backed by Number 10, which said the nation should speak with “one voice”.
The Israeli government responded to his remarks on Tuesday night, with spokesman Eylon Levy saying: “Israelis of course want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible, and that will be possible once the 134 hostages are released and once the Hamas terror army threatening to repeat the October 7 atrocities is dismantled.
“We appreciate the Prince of Wales’ call for Hamas to free the hostages. We also recall with gratitude his statement from October 11 condemning Hamas’ terror attacks and reaffirming Israel’s right of self-defence against them.”
Israeli officials were caught off guard by the Prince’s words, and it is understood they consider his statement to be naive. They are dismayed, but it is thought they decided not to go further in criticising him publicly because they did not want to enter into a row with the future king.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) February 20, 2024
He spoke on the eve of a crucial parliamentary vote, as Sir Keir Starmer attempted to avert a damaging rebellion from Labour MPs by backing an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”. The Government retaliated with its own amendment, which did not go so far, supporting “moves towards a permanent ceasefire” instead.
On Tuesday night, a Downing St source confirmed the Kensington Palace team had approached it with the Prince’s statement in advance, saying: “We saw it in advance and we were comfortable with it.”
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said the Government welcomed the comments, which chimed with increasing global calls for a ceasefire. Asked whether Rishi Sunak agreed with William’s assessment of the Israel-Hamas war, the spokesman said: “Yes, his comments echo those that you have heard previously from the Prime Minister.
“We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible, so it is consistent with the Government position and we welcome that intervention.”
Britain's Prince William, The Prince of Wales, listens to Pascal Hundt, Senior Crisis Manager, International Committee of the Red Cross, dialling in from Gaza, during a visit of the British Red Cross at its headquarters in London, Tuesday, February 20. Photo / Kin Cheung, AP
Prince William’s choice of words echoed a speech made by Sunak at London’s Guildhall in November when he warned that too many civilians were losing their lives in the conflict.
His intervention came as Joe Biden’s US administration broke with the Israeli government this week to warn that the planned invasion of the Gazan city of Rafah “should not proceed under current circumstances”.
In a draft United Nations resolution, it pushed for a vote on a “temporary ceasefire” and said invading the city, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltering, would have “serious implications for regional peace and security”.
On Tuesday, Amichai Chikli, an Israeli minister, said the attempt to use the UN to halt its Rafah offensive was “ethically reprehensible”, describing calls for a ceasefire as a “strategic folly”.
Earlier, the US was the only UN Security Council member to veto Algeria’s draft UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, warning that it would jeopardise “sensitive” negotiations between the US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar over a hostage release deal.
The Prince’s statement was released as he met British Red Cross aid workers involved in the humanitarian effort and spoke to their colleagues working on the ground in the region. He explained that the violence had left him “deeply moved as a father”.
He said: “I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7. 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 Prince’s engagement was originally scheduled for earlier this year, when he was due to be joined by the Princess of Wales before she was admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery.
Understanding how the @BritishRedCross is providing vital humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict in the Middle East. Staff and volunteers continue to work day and night to bring life-saving assistance and medical treatment to those who need it most. pic.twitter.com/7OjEQF7zeF
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) February 20, 2024
William, who is increasingly positioning himself as a global statesman, has closely followed developments in Israel and Gaza since the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.
At the time, the Prince and Princess of Wales said they were “profoundly distressed” by the “horrors inflicted by Hamas’ terrorist attack”, warning that there would be further pain as Israel exercised “its right of self-defence”.
But the extent of the human suffering on display prompted the Prince to go further.
The Prince’s intervention drew criticism from some politicians, who suggested the heir had overstepped his role.
Andrew Percy, the Tory MP and vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on anti-Semitism, said: “The underlying principle of our constitutional monarchy is that members of the royal family do not engage in contentious political issues of the day on which there are divergent and strongly held beliefs in this country.
“Members of the royal family would do well to remember that.”
Nigel Farage, the former Brexit Party leader, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “I’m not sure that our future king should be doing this. He should stick to the Baftas.”
The Prince, Bafta president since 2010, attended the annual award ceremony on Sunday evening.
Senior royals have traditionally tried to remain neutral on political matters.
In September 2014, when David Cameron sought support from Elizabeth II in the final days of the Scottish independence referendum campaign, she told well-wishers outside a church in Aberdeenshire that she hoped voters would “think very carefully about the future”.
Lord Cameron later claimed that she had “purred down the line” after he phoned to tell her that Scotland had voted no to separation.
Prince Charles successfully applied for a summary judgment when he sued The Mail on Sunday over the publication of a leaked journal in which he described the Chinese leadership as “appalling old waxworks”.
His comments come five years after he called for “lasting peace for the region”, telling Palestinians during an official visit to the West Bank in 2018: “My message tonight is that you have not been forgotten.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on whether the King supported his son’s stance, or whether he had been briefed on the statement in advance. Charles, 75, who is president of the British Red Cross, has previously condemned the October 7 attacks as “barbaric acts of terrorism”.
On Tuesday night, the King flew from Sandringham to Windsor, where he will hold his first audience of the year with the Prime Minister on Wednesday, and the first since he announced that he is being treated for cancer.
