Prince Charles visits Israel and the West Bank

<strong><a href=/tags/0/prince-charles>Prince Charles</a></strong> attended the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem on Jan. 23 as part of his first-ever official visit to Israel. The next day, he visited Bethlehem and the West Ban, marking his first visit to the Palestinian territories, too. <p>At the World Holocaust Forum, Charles was joined by other European royals such as Spain's <strong><a href=/tags/0/king-felipe-vi>King Felipe</a></strong> and Belgium's <strong><a href=/tags/0/king-philippe>King Philippe</a></strong> at the event, which marks 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. <p>He made a deeply reflective and powerful speech at the Forum, which was held at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial. <p>This is not the first time Charles has visited Israel. He previously attended the funerals of Israeli Prime Minister <strong>Yitzhak Rabin</strong> and President <strong>Shimon Peres</strong> in 1995 and 2016, respectively, but neither were official visits on behalf of the Crown. <p><strong>Scroll through the gallery (or click through if you're on desktop) to see the best photos from Charles's trip.</strong> <p>Photo: &copy; Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images
<h2>DAY TWO: JERUSALEM AND BETHLEHEM</h2> <p>Charles began his second day in Israel and the Palestinian territories by visiting the Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem. It is located just opposite of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is believed to be the site of Jesus's crucifixion and his tomb. Muslims recognize Jesus as a prophet as well, and the Prince of Wales met with the mosque's religious leaders on his visit. <p>Photo: &copy; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
While there, Charles signed the guestbook. <p>Photo: &copy; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
He also took off his shoes as a sign of respect. <p>Photo: &copy; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Later in the day, Charles visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which is built on what Christians believe was the site of Jesus's birth. He posed for a photo with leaders from various branches of Christianity, from Catholicism and Anglicanism to Eastern Orthodoxy and Coptic Christianity. <p>Photo: &copy; Mussa Qawasma/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
While inside the church, the Prince of Wales also visited the crypt located beneath it... <p>Photo: &copy; Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty Images
... and was shown a shrine that Christians believe sits on the spot where they believe Jesus was born. <p>Photo: &copy; Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty Images
Outside the Bethlehem Peace Center, Charles greeted people who had gathered to say hi to him. <p>Photo: &copy; Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
From there, Charles visited a traditional olive and fruit orchard to learn about Palestinian agriculture, heritage and traditions at The Carmelite Convent in Bethlehem. <p>Photo: &copy; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Just as he had done in Jerusalem the day before, Charles planted a tree in Bethlehem. The olive tree has long been considered a symbol of peace to Jews, Christians and Muslims. <p>Photo: &copy; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The Prince of Wales then later met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his official residence in Bethlehem. <p>Photo: &copy; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
He also attended a reception for Palestinian Christians at the Case Nova Franciscan pilgrim house in Bethlehem, and was shown some beautiful works of art. <p>Photo: &copy; Neil Hall - Pool/Getty Images
While there, he made a speech in which he called for peace in the region. He said one of the things he's always tried to do as Prince of Wales is "build bridges between different religions," according to <a href=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51236905>BBC News</a>. <p>"We must pursue this cause with faith and determination, striving to heal the wounds which have caused such pain," he is reported to have said. <p>Photo: &copy; Neil Hall - Pool/Getty Images
The prince also visited the Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem the same day. Christians believe many key events took place in the life of Jesus on the Mount of Olives, including his ascension to heaven. <p>Photo: &copy; Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images
Inside, Charles visited the tomb of Princess Alice of Battenberg, his grandmother and Prince Philip's mother. Alice is recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations, an honorific given by the state to non-Jews who sheltered Jews during the Holocaust. During World War II, Alice rescued a Jews in Athens. <p>Photo: &copy; Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images
<h2>DAY ONE: JERUSALEM</h2> <p>Charles began his day by arriving at the office of Israeli President <strong>Reuven Rivlin</strong> in Jerusalem. The two discussed fighting antisemitism and Reuven said he was grateful to Charles and the Crown for the official visit, the first in 70 years, according to the <I><a href=https://www.timesofisrael.com/prince-charles-meets-president-survivors-on-first-ever-official-visit/>Times of Israel</I></a>. <p>Photo: &copy; Mark Neyman/GPO/Handout/Andalou Agency via Getty Images
Outside, Reuven, Charles and Britain's Chief Rabbi <strong>Ephraim Mirvis</strong> planted an English oak in the garden of the president's official residence. They were joined by a cat! <p>Photo: &copy; Julian Simmonds- Pool/Getty Images
Charles then visited the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, where he met with Holocaust survivors Marta Wise (second left in the photo) and George Shefi (left), whose mother died at Auschwitz. <p>Photo: &copy; Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images
While at the Israel Museum, Charles was accompanied by the museum's staff and British Chief Rabbi <strong>Ephraim Mirvis</strong> (second left) as he viewed a reconstruction of the Tzedek ve-Shalom (Peace and Justice) Synagogue. The synagogue was originally built for a congregation of Sephardi Jews in Suriname in 1736, but stopped being used in 1999. Its furnishings were later given to the Israel Museum. <p>Photo: &copy; Menahem Kanana/AFP via Getty Images
The future King was then accompanied by Israel Museum staff, Ephraim (second left) and <strong>Adolfo Roitman</strong> (right) on a trip to the Shrine of the Book, a wing of the Israel Museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept. <p>The scrolls, discovered over a period from 1946-1956, are the second-oldest known surviving manuscripts of works that later became part of the Hebrew Bible. <p>Photo: &copy; Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images
Charles, who has a deep respect and admiration for all the world's religions, looked thrilled as he viewed the Dead Sea Scrolls while there. <p>Photo: &copy; Pool/Getty Images
From there, Charles travelled to Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, and reunited with more than 50 heads of state who are attending the World Holocaust Forum. That included Spain's King Felipe VI! <p>Yad Vashem is an important place for the British <a href=/tags/0/british-royals><strong>Royal Family</a></strong>. <strong>Princess Alice of Battenberg</strong>, Charles's grandmother and <strong><a href=/tags/0/prince-philip>Prince Philip</a></strong>'s mother, is recognized by Israel as "Righteous Among the Nations," an honorific used to describe non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust. She has a place of honour in the memorial. <p>Alice sheltered Jewish refugees in Athens during the Second World War. Charles will visit her grave in East Jerusalem, which Prince William also did when he travelled to the Middle East in 2018. <p>Photo; &copy; Haim Zach - Pool/Getty Images
Charles and Felipe were happy to see Belgium's King Philippe at the event, too. <p>Photo: &copy; Haim Zach - Pool/Getty Images
At the Forum, Charles delivered <a href=https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speech/speech-hrh-prince-wales-world-holocaust-forum-yad-vashem-jerusalem>a moving and powerful speech</a> in which he said humanity "must never cease to be appalled, nor moved by the testimony of those who lived through [the Holocaust]." He also recognized his grandmother's work and Israel's recognition of it in his remarks, and said calling out hatred is always important. <p>"All too often, language is used which turns disagreement into dehumanization," he said. "Words are used as badges of shame to mark others as enemies, to brand those who are different as somehow deviant. All too often, virtue seems to be sought through verbal violence. All too often, real violence ensues, and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion, their race or their beliefs. <p>"Knowing, as we do, the darkness to which such behaviour leads, we must be vigilant in discerning these ever-changing threats; we must be fearless in confronting falsehoods and resolute in resisting words and acts of violence. And we must never rest in seeking to create mutual understanding and respect. We must tend the earth of our societies so that the seeds of division cannot take root and grow. And we must never forget that every human being is be-tselem Elokim - 'in the image of God' - and even a single human life is ke-olam malei - 'like an entire universe.'" <p>Photo; &copy; Abir Sultan/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Charles finished his speech by laying a wreath on the UK's behalf at the memorial. <p>Photo: &copy; Abir Sultan/AFP via Getty Images
Charles ended his day with a receptionat Her Majesty's Ambassador's Residence in Jerusalem, where he gave a speech. <p>Photo: &copy; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
He was very interested in meeting Israeli politicians and business leaders at the event. <p>Photo: &copy; Julian Simmonds - Pool/Getty Images
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