Prince William arrives in Israel for historic royal visit

Prince William arrived in Israel on Monday for the first-ever official visit of a member of the British royal family to the tumultuous region London once ruled.

Arriving from neighboring Jordan, the Duke of Cambridge landed at Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport and then departed to Jerusalem, where he will stay at the elegant King David Hotel, site of the former administrative headquarters of the British mandate.

Britain's Prince William visits a community center, Dar Niemeh, in the province of Ajloun, north of the Jordanian capital Amman, Monday, June 25, 2018. The visit came on the second day of a five-day tour that also takes William to Israel and the Palestinian territories. It's a high-profile foreign trip for William, second in line to the throne, and comes at a time of widening rifts between Israelis and Palestinians. (Ahmad Abdo/Pool photo via AP)

Britain's Prince William visits a community center, Dar Niemeh, in the province of Ajloun, north of the Jordanian capital Amman, Monday, June 25, 2018. The visit came on the second day of a five-day tour that also takes William to Israel and the Palestinian territories. It's a high-profile foreign trip for William, second in line to the throne, and comes at a time of widening rifts between Israelis and Palestinians. (Ahmad Abdo/Pool photo via AP)

Three decades of British rule between the two world wars helped establish some of the fault lines of today's Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Britain's withdrawal in 1948 led to the eventual establishment of Israel and Jordan.

Britain has since taken a back seat to the United States in mediating peace efforts, and the royal family has mostly steered clear of the region's toxic politics.

For the 36-year-old William, second in line to the throne, it marks a high-profile visit that could burnish his international credentials.

Though the trip is being billed as non-political, and places a special emphasis on technology and joint Israeli-Arab projects, William will also be meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and visiting landmark Jerusalem sites at the heart of the century-old conflict.

Britain's Prince William sits in a traditional Bedouin tent during a visit to a community center, Dar Niemeh, in the province of Ajloun, north of the Jordanian capital Amman, Monday, June 25, 2018. The visit came on the second day of a five-day tour that also takes William to Israel and the Palestinian territories. It's a high-profile foreign trip for William, second in line to the throne, and comes at a time of widening rifts between Israelis and Palestinians. (Ahmad Abdo/Pool photo via AP)

Britain's Prince William drinks tea in a traditional Bedouin-style tent during a visit to a community center, Dar Niemeh, in the province of Ajloun, north of the Jordanian capital Amman, Monday, June 25, 2018. The visit came on the second day of a five-day tour that also takes William to Israel and the Palestinian territories. It's a high-profile foreign trip for William, second in line to the throne, and comes at a time of widening rifts between Israelis and Palestinians. (Ahmad Abdo/Pool photo via AP)

On Tuesday he will visit Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, where he will meet two survivors who escaped Nazi Germany for the safety of Britain. The memorial has recognized Prince William's great-grandmother, Princess Alice, as Righteous Among the Nations for her role in rescuing Jews during the Holocaust.

In a 1994 visit to Yad Vashem, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, planted a tree there in his mother's honor. Princess Alice hid three members of the Cohen family in her palace in Athens during the Nazi occupation of Greece in World War II. Thanks to her, the Cohen family survived and today lives in France. The princess died in 1969, and in 1988 her remains were brought to Jerusalem.

Later, the prince will meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before heading to coastal Tel Aviv to attend a football game of young Jewish and Arab players. He'll also meet the mayor of Tel Aviv and attend a reception the British ambassador is holding in his honor.

Britain's Prince Williamlooks at locally produced products during a visit to a community center, Dar Niemeh, in the province of Ajloun, north of the Jordanian capital Amman, Monday, June 25, 2018. The visit came on the second day of a five-day tour that also takes William to Israel and the Palestinian territories. It's a high-profile foreign trip for William, second in line to the throne, and comes at a time of widening rifts between Israelis and Palestinians. (Ahmad Abdo/Pool photo via AP)

Britain's Prince William arrives on a Royal Air Force plane at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 25, 2018. William has arrived in Israel for the first-ever official visit by a member of the British royal family. His arrival Monday ends the monarchy's mostly hands-off approach to one of the world's most sensitive regions. For the 36-year-old William, second in line to the throne, it marks a high-profile visit that could brandish his international credentials. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

"It is the right moment we think for a visit to really shine a light on that relationship and show how strong the contemporary relationship is between the two countries," Ambassador David Quarrey told The Associated Press. "The Duke is very clear that he wants to come and get under the skin of the country, he wants to get a feel for Israel. He wants to get a flavor of the country."

Later in the week, he'll be travelling to the West Bank, where he will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah before wrapping up the trip in east Jerusalem to visit his great-grandmother's gravesite.

Britain's Prince William arrives on a Royal Air Force plane at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 25, 2018. William has arrived in Israel for the first-ever official visit by a member of the British royal family. His arrival Monday ends the monarchy's mostly hands-off approach to one of the world's most sensitive regions. For the 36-year-old William, second in line to the throne, it marks a high-profile visit that could brandish his international credentials. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Britain's Prince William arrives on a Royal Air Force plane at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 25, 2018. William has arrived in Israel for the first-ever official visit by a member of the British royal family. His arrival Monday ends the monarchy's mostly hands-off approach to one of the world's most sensitive regions. For the 36-year-old William, second in line to the throne, it marks a high-profile visit that could brandish his international credentials. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

The royal itinerary managed to anger Israeli politicians by mentioning Jerusalem as being part of "the Occupied Palestinian Territories." Jerusalem Affairs Minister Zeev Elkin — who is running for mayor of the city in this year's elections — called the reference a "distortion" that cannot "change reality."

Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not internationally recognized. Israel considers the city, home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, as an inseparable part of its capital. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as their future capital.

Ambassador Quarrey insisted the wording merely reflected decades of terminology used by British governments.

"It is important to emphasize that the Duke is not a political figure, this is not a political visit," he said.

Britain's Prince William arrives on a Royal Air Force plane at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 25, 2018. William has arrived in Israel for the first-ever official visit by a member of the British royal family. His arrival Monday ends the monarchy's mostly hands-off approach to one of the world's most sensitive regions. For the 36-year-old William, second in line to the throne, it marks a high-profile visit that could brandish his international credentials. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Britain's Prince William arrives on a Royal Air Force plane at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 25, 2018. William has arrived in Israel for the first-ever official visit by a member of the British royal family. His arrival Monday ends the monarchy's mostly hands-off approach to one of the world's most sensitive regions. For the 36-year-old William, second in line to the throne, it marks a high-profile visit that could brandish his international credentials. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

The prince arrived from Jordan, where he kicked off his five-day Middle East tour by meeting young scientists, refugees and political leaders. He was hosted by Crown Prince Hussein, 23, a member of the Hashemite dynasty Britain helped install in then-Transjordan almost a century ago. The pair later watched the England-Panama World Cup match together.

In Jordan, the prince attended a reception marking the birthday of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and toured the ruins of the Roman city of Jerash, a major tourist attraction his wife had visited as a child when she and her family lived in Jordan.

Britain's Prince William arrives on a Royal Air Force plane at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 25, 2018. William has arrived in Israel for the first-ever official visit by a member of the British royal family. His arrival Monday ends the monarchy's mostly hands-off approach to one of the world's most sensitive regions. For the 36-year-old William, second in line to the throne, it marks a high-profile visit that could brandish his international credentials. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Police surrounded a pro-Palestinian encampment early Sunday at the University of Southern California, days before commencement events are set to begin on the Los Angeles campus.

The university said campus safety officers assisted by the Los Angeles Police Department were clearing the area.

“If you are in the center of campus, please leave. People who don’t leave could be arrested,” USC said on the social media platform X.

Protesters were loudly chanting “Free Palestine” inside the encampment.

Protesters in the encampment were given 15 minutes to leave the area before facing arrest, according to Annenberg Media, a student-led campus publication.

The encampment had restarted after the Los Angeles Police Department first arrested 93 people on April 24. The atmosphere on the private university campus had largely remained calm since, while attention turned to arrests at the University of California, Los Angeles.

At the University of Virginia, 25 people were arrested Saturday for trespassing after police clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters who refused to remove tents from campus, and demonstrators at the University of Michigan chanted anti-war messages and waved flags during commencement ceremonies.

USC, a private university, has been the subject of student protests over the war in Gaza as well as the administration’s decision to cancel a commencement speech by the valedictorian, a Muslim student who had expressed support for Palestinians. The university made that decision in mid-April, saying they had safety concerns after receiving threats. Some Jewish groups had criticized the student’s selection as speaker.

Administrators later canceled the entire main-stage commencement planned for May 10, when 65,000 people were expected to gather to celebrate graduates. Other commencement activities, including graduation ceremonies for individual schools and colleges, are still scheduled from Thursday through Sunday. Access to the private campus has largely been restricted for people not affiliated with the university since late April.

Video posted online Saturday evening showed some demonstrators engaging in calm songs and chants in preparation for expected police activity. The encampment has been set up on a campus green space, with dozens of tents surrounded by makeshift fencing covered in signs with various messages of support for Palestinians and criticism of the university and law enforcement.

A university representative read a statement nearby the encampment Saturday saying that it had to come down, according to Annenberg Media, saying the encampment and unspecified acts of vandalism and theft of university property violated the law.

Early Friday, several dozen counter-protesters had set up outside the encampment, playing scenes from the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel on a screen, Annenberg Media reported.

In Virginia, student demonstrators began their protest on a lawn outside the school chapel Tuesday. On Saturday, video from WVAW-TV showed police wearing heavy gear and holding shields lined up on the campus in Charlottesville. Protesters chanted “Free Palestine,” and university police said on the social platform X that an “unlawful assembly” had been declared in the area.

As police moved in, students were pushed to the ground, pulled by their arms and sprayed with a chemical irritant, Laura Goldblatt, an assistant professor of English and global studies who has been helping student demonstrators, told The Washington Post.

The university administration said in a statement that the demonstrators were told the tents and canopies they erected were prohibited under school policy and were asked to remove them. Virginia State Police were asked to help with enforcement, the university said.

It was the latest clash in several tense and sometimes violent weeks at colleges and universities around the country that have seen dozens of protests and hundreds of arrests at demonstrations over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war; many of the encampments have been dismantled by police.

Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies they say support the war in Gaza have spread across campuses nationwide in a student movement unlike any other this century. Some schools have reached agreements with protesters to end the demonstrations and reduce the possibility of disrupting final exams and commencements.

The Associated Press has recorded at least 61 incidents since April 18 in which arrests were made at protests, with more than 2,400 people being arrested on 47 campuses. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.

Michigan was among the schools bracing for protests during commencement this weekend, including Indiana University, Ohio State University and Northeastern University in Boston. Many more are slated in the coming weeks.

In Ann Arbor, the protest happened at the beginning of the event at Michigan Stadium. About 75 people, many wearing traditional Arabic kaffiyehs along with their graduation caps, marched up the main aisle toward the graduation stage.

They chanted “Regents, regents, you can’t hide! You are funding genocide!” while holding signs, including one that read: “No universities left in Gaza.”

Overhead, planes flew banners with competing messages. “Divest from Israel now! Free Palestine!” and “We stand with Israel. Jewish lives matter.”

Officials said no one was arrested, and the protest didn’t seriously interrupt the nearly two-hour event, which was attended by tens of thousands of people, some of them waving Israeli flags.

State police prevented the demonstrators from reaching the stage. University spokesperson Colleen Mastony said public safety personnel escorted the protesters to the rear of the stadium, where they remained through the conclusion of the event.

“Peaceful protests like this have taken place at U-M commencement ceremonies for decades,” she added.

The university has allowed protesters to set up an encampment on campus, but police assisted in breaking up a large gathering at a graduation-related event Friday night, and one person was arrested.

At Indiana, protesters were urging supporters to wear their kaffiyehs and walk out during remarks by President Pamela Whitten on Saturday evening. The Bloomington campus designated a protest zone outside Memorial Stadium, the arena for the ceremony.

At Princeton, in New Jersey, 18 students launched a hunger strike in an effort to push the university to divest from companies tied to Israel.

One of them, senior David Chmielewski said in an email that the strike started Friday morning with participants consuming water only, and it will continue until administrators meet with students about demands including amnesty from criminal and disciplinary charges for protesters. Other demonstrators are participating in “solidarity fasts” lasting 24 hours, Chmielewski said.

Princeton students set up a protest encampment and some held a sit-in at an administrative building this week, leading to about 15 arrests.

Students at other colleges, including Brown and Yale, launched similar hunger strikes earlier this year before the more recent wave of encampments.

The protests stem from the conflict that started Oct. 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. Israeli strikes have devastated the enclave and displaced most of its inhabitants.

Marcelo reported from New York. Lavoie reported from Richmond, Virginia. Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit, Nick Perry in Meredith, New Hampshire, and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed.

Police form a line where pro-Palestinian protesters set up tents on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

A pro-Palestinian supporter holds a sign reading "State Police=KKK" on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where they set up tents, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

Police use a microphone as a pro-Palestinian demonstrator listens on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents were set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

A graduate holds his cap with an Israeli flag while shouting at pro-Palestinian protesters as they demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

Rawan Antar, 21, center, chants in support of Palestinians during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

Graduates sporting Israeli flags and pins shout at Pro-Palestinian protesters as they demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

Graduate Ari Belchinsky wears pro-Israel pins during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)

Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024.( Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)

A graduate waits for the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony to begin at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)

CORRECTS PHRASE ON BANNER - A plane pulling a banner that reads "Divest From Israel Now! Free Palestine" flies overhead before the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

A plane bearing a banner that reads ""We stand with Israel jewishlivesmatter.us" flies overhead before the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)

Graduates sporting Israeli flags and pins shout at Pro-Palestinian protesters as they demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024.( Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)

Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024.( Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)

Police and pro-Palestinian demonstrators stand across from one another on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

Police move pro-Palestinian demonstrators back from the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

The aftermath of a site is seen after authorities broke up a demonstration by pro-Palestinian protesters on the campus of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators take videos and photos with their phones on the University of Virginia campus as police break up what authorities called an "unlawful assembly," in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024.( Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)

Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)

Police with riot shields form a line across from pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

A police officer, right, watches a protester wave a Palestinian flag on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

Police with riot shields detain a pro-Palestinian demonstrator on the ground as a National Lawyers Guild representative holds up an emergency contact notebook, on the University of Virginia campus, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator wears goggles and a mask as police with riot shields and protesters stand across from one another on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)

Police lift a pro-Palestinian demonstrator from the ground on the University of Virginia campus, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)