UK’s Prince Charles tours Bethlehem

Prince of Wales Charles accompanied by Palestinian Tourism Minister Rola Maayia greets the citizens as he visits the Bethlehem, West Bank on January 24, 2020. ( Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency )

Prince of Wales Charles visits Bethlehem, West Bank on 24 January 2020 [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]

Prince of Wales Charles (L) accompanied by Palestinian Tourism Minister Rola Maayia visits the Bethlehem, West Bank on January 24, 2020. ( Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency )

Britain’s Prince Charles has today arrived in Bethlehem city’s Manger Square, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, marking the beginning of a historic visit to the occupied Palestinian territories.

The tour and scheduled plans to sit down for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential headquarters in Bethlehem comes amid calls for the UK to recognise the state of Palestine.

Under heavy security, the Prince of Wales walked into Omar Mosque, located at the corner of Manger Square, where he was joined by Mayor of Bethlehem Anton Salman and Governor of Bethlehem Kamel Hmeid.

He was pictured shaking hands with bystanders and signed his name in Arabic in a visitor book at the mosque, Clarence House reported on Twitter.

In the Mosque of Omar, in Manger Square Bethlehem, Prince Charles signed his name in Arabic pic.twitter.com/TnRlvED63W

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) January 24, 2020

Opposite the mosque is the Church of the Nativity which contains a grotto believed to be the site where Jesus was born, where the heir to the British throne also attended a service accompanied by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III.

READ: Prince Charles’ visit to Palestine helps us focus on resolving the conflict 

And in the rain, under a canopy of umbrellas, Prince Charles enters the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where he will enter the grotto – the birthplace of Jesus #royalvisitpalestine pic.twitter.com/jCkSjvgfS0

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) January 24, 2020

His appearance came after he gave a speech during a Holocaust memorial ceremony attended by more than 40 world leaders in Jerusalem. There, he warned that “the lessons of the Holocaust are still relevant to this day

Charles is the most senior British royal to visit Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories since the 1917 Balfour Declaration.

Earlier this week, a group of British MPs signed a letter urging the government to recognise the State of Palestine adding that Israel’s actions were “pushing a two-state solution beyond reach”.

In a letter to the Times, the MPs, along with figures from think tanks and pressure groups, said the move was long overdue and would help fulfil Britain’s “promise of equal rights for peoples in two states”.

Charles has previously travelled to Jerusalem to attend the funerals of President Shimon Peres in 2016 and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.