On Friday, Hamas terrorists began their coordinated assault on Israelis, raiding the kibbutzim near the Gaza border and launching rockets into Israel, some of which made it to Tel Aviv. Israel’s “Iron Dome” defense system was seemingly overwhelmed by the attack. The Israeli death toll has gone past 1000 – this is the deadliest attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust, and many of the dead are women and children. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu has retaliated to the terrorist attack by waging war against Palestinians, shutting off water, electricity and supplies to Gaza and engaging in widespread bombing. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed or injured in the Israeli bombardment since Hamas launched their terrorist attack.
This is a huge political and humanitarian disaster, made much worse by misinformation, disinformation and every single person, business and group feeling the need to chime in with their “take.” I simply wish more celebrities and non-political public figures would send thoughts and prayers to Palestinians and Israelis and leave the nuanced conversations to historians, diplomats, humanitarians and foreign policy experts. Or better yet for celebrities, say nothing – there’s absolutely no reason why the world needs to know what Kylie Jenner thinks about Israel and Palestine. There is no way to “win” at this moment from a celebrity-PR perspective.
Adding to the ongoing catastrophe is a series of grotesque political realities: Netanyahu was warned about the Hamas attack in advance and did nothing; political support for Netanyahu seems quite fragile all of a sudden; Israel’s defense capability looks weak and unprepared, despite billions in foreign aid for decades; Donald Trump was likely the source of information about Israel’s military weaknesses, and Trump likely told Russia, Russia told Iran and Iran told Hamas.
Enter Prince William and Kate. I’m actually surprised that they didn’t release a half-assed statement over the weekend, but I suspect they were banned from making any statement before King Charles. Charles waited until Wednesday to address the situation, then William and Kate went after him. Keep in mind, William visited Israel in 2018 and declared that he would make “peace in the Middle East” his “lifelong project” and he would “forever honour my commitments” to the people he met. He literally never mentioned Israel or Palestine again in the next five years, but better late than never.
King Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton are voicing support for Israel after the surprise attacks by Hamas militants killed over 1,000 civilians last weekend. On Wednesday, the Prince and Princess of Wales released a statement on social media. The message marked the couple’s first comment on the Oct. 7 attack. The violence by Hamas, which the U.S. classifies as a terrorist organization, prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare the same day that his country is “at war.”
“A spokesperson for The Prince and Princess of Wales said, ‘The Prince and Princess of Wales are profoundly distressed by the devastating events that have unfolded in the past days. The horrors inflicted by Hamas’s terrorist attack upon Israel are appalling; they utterly condemn them.”
“As Israel exercises its right of self defence, all Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be stalked by grief, fear and anger in the time to come. Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds. Those The Prince of Wales met in 2018 overwhelmingly shared a common hope — that of a better future. In the midst of such terrible suffering, The Prince and Princess continue to share that hope without reservation.”
Though King Charles’ words of support for Israel amid the rapidly developing situation were not released to the royal family’s Royal.UK website or Royal Family social accounts, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace shared a statement on Wednesday.
“This is a situation His Majesty is extremely concerned about, and he has asked to be kept actively updated. His thoughts and prayers are with all of those suffering, particularly those who have lost loved ones, but also those actively involved as we speak,” the spokesperson said on the King’s behalf. “His Majesty is appalled by and condemns the barbaric acts of terrorism in Israel.”
PEOPLE has also learned that Charles, 74, spoke to President Herzog of Israel and King Abdullah of Jordan on the phone on Wednesday afternoon. Charles welcomed Herzog to Highgrove House during the president’s visit to England in 2021, and King Abdullah attended the May coronation with his wife, Queen Rania.
Kensington Palace’s statement is mostly boilerplate, treading water stuff. Which, honestly, is fine with me. William is not a decision maker here nor is he a global statesman. He has no role to play beyond the boilerplate. Charles actually has relationships with many of these leaders, although I would assume that Prime Minister Sunak had to give permission to the king to call certain people and what could be said during the calls. Notice that Buckingham Palace didn’t say that Charles spoke to Bibi.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- USA Rights Only – Tel Aviv, Israel -20180626- The Duke of Cambridge (left), with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) as he tries on glasses linked to a computer to help partially sighted people to see more clearly, during a Garden reception at the UK Ambassador to Israel in Tel Aviv, Israel as part of his tour of the Middle East. -PICTURED: Prince William, Benjamin Netanyahu -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Prince William, Benjamin Netanyahu Where: Tel Aviv, Israel, Israel When: 26 Jun 2018 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com **USA Rights Only**
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- USA Rights Only – Jerusalem, Israel -20180628- The Duke of Cambridge during a visit to the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem’s Old City, as part of his tour of the Middle East. -PICTURED: Duke of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Robin Nunn/PA Images/INSTARimages.com -37260209.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Prince William Where: Jerusalem, Israel, Israel When: 28 Jun 2018 Credit: Robin Nunn/PA Images/INSTARimages.com **USA Rights Only**
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- USA Rights Only – Jerusalem, Israel -20180628- The Duke of Cambridge during a visit to the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem’s Old City, as part of his tour of the Middle East. -PICTURED: Duke of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Robin Nunn/PA Images/INSTARimages.com -37260207.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Prince William Where: Jerusalem, Israel, Israel When: 28 Jun 2018 Credit: Robin Nunn/PA Images/INSTARimages.com **USA Rights Only**
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- USA Rights Only – Jerusalem, Israel -20180628- The Duke of Cambridge during a visit to the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem’s Old City, as part of his tour of the Middle East. -PICTURED: Duke of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Tim Rooke/PA Images/INSTARimages.com -37259982.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Prince William Where: Jerusalem, Israel, Israel When: 28 Jun 2018 Credit: Tim Rooke/PA Images/INSTARimages.com **USA Rights Only**
I read what KP put out and it was word salad. So much for for his peace in the Middle East agenda that he announced in 2018. At least Peg waited till Chuckles got his phone calls in. Maybe statesman Peg should try and figure something out.
He’ll get to the Middle East right after he figures out racism, homelessness, climate changeand mental health. He’s a busy man, our global statesman!
BECKS1: I know it’s hard when he doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together to get all that done but he offered.
He got bored of his “lifelong project” the very next day.
I mean, we know it’s nonsense anyway but Wills can’t bring peace to the Middle East and side very clearly with one country. Charles did the more diplomatic (and Royal thing) of expressing concern for those suffering as a result of the conflict.
Not – before you all leap on me – that I am supporting Hamas in any way – my point is that it is supposedly beholden on the RF to remain entirely politically neutral.
These people have really perfected gaslighting and shamelessness. I guess they think because they do their photo op/PR pics and move on, that others have too. Someone needs to ask willy what he’s done for middle east peace since his little photo op at the wall and his statement.
Boilerplate yes, but I think they should have left out the 2018 visit, it was too long ago to have any meaning for the present. It was just William trying to play statesman & failing miserably.
Plus, I went back & counted. KPs statement mentioned W&K four times, BPs statement mentioned Charles twice.
It is ridiculous for the son of the head of state to give any kind of statement on what is a political issue. Charles, the current head of state making an unofficial statement days after tells you just how much they shouldn’t be touching this.
I mean is William even aware of the Balfour Declaration? I bet you he isn’t.
Shame on people for not condemning ALL sides.
And all people of power should denounce Both parties who have continued this fiasco for years.
Agreed
It shows the British monarch has no real power. Charles may be commander in chief of UK’s armed forces, but he can’t be in the room when decisions are made to deploy British forces. The government probably cleared those statements from the palaces.
Yeah, that’s probably why we didn’t get these until yesterday, the statements had to wend their way through the approval process.
words were said. checked off that on a list. chuck and will can go back to vacationing and leave hard geopolitics to more capable people. they should NOT get involved in this as nonfunctioning and unelected figureheads. i’m ok with this nonstatement bc i don’t think they need to make one.
that said, i also don’t love celebrities with no ties chiming in just for the clout. in this situation, it’s obvious that civilians are taking the brunt of all decisions on both sides. Hamas is a terrorist group for killing Israeli civilians in atrocious ways, and Israel’s retaliation will kill thousands of innocent Palestinians in Gaza. the world truly is on fire these days.
Friendly reminder that Palestine was a British Mandate when the State of Israel was declared. The British are integrally connected to the modern day issues of the region and not polite observers from afar.
Right. I’m trying to understand the situation. British were colonizing Palestine and then gave (?!) the country to Israel is what I’m understanding so far. I’m trying to understand it.
The United Nations General Assembly agreed the partition of what had been the British Mandate (ex Ottoman Empire that having sided with Germany in WW1 saw its empire split between Britain, France, Greece and Russia.)
1947 the United Nations General Assembly voted on Resolution 181, adopting a plan to to partition the British Mandate into two states, one Arab and one Jewish. The United Kingdom, having ruled the Mandate since 1917 terminated its Mandate in 1947.
Resolution 181 was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (1947) with 33 countries including the United States agreeing to it, 13 countries against, and 10 abstaining including the United Kingdom. And then the geopolitical problems really began……
The BRF should shut the F up.
They are glorified pandas that act as mascots
Britain started this mess, it can all be traced back to them. The breathtaking arrogance of splitting up someone’s country to assuage for the atrocities europeans carried out on the jews with pogroms and eventually the holocaust
I knew this was set up after WWII, but not that Palestine was a British colony and they were so closely involved. Sadly, not surprised. This is such an awful mess.
Which is even more reason for the son of the unelected head of state to stay quiet. And then making the statement about himself shows just how important he thinks he is.
Also I mentioned the Balfour Declaration up above which was in 1917, so Britain being involved in this is longstanding.
The Wales’ statement is fine. It’s about what I expected, and I’m sure it was vetted by the government before it was released. Along the same lines, I also think whatever is coming out of BP is being very carefully vetted and approved by Sunak etc.
This is such an emotional time for so many and it can be so easy to feel like you’ve said the wrong thing, or you’re missing a big piece of the picture etc. I am just devastated for all the victims here.
The statement didn’t need to include William’s visit. That seemed narcissistic. People can care about the loss of life without making it about themselves.
That was a really political speech. Partisan. My heart bleeds for innocent victims whatever their beliefs. Compare and contrast the succinct measured words of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
That’s how I read the W&K statement too. Partisan.
Exactly. And yet if you read the comments under the Sussexes posts, there are folks accusing them of being partisan just for having the word “Israel” in the post, when this one clearly condemns Hamas and takes sides. I guess all those folks didn’t see this post.
@MsIam are you seriously saying condemning Hamas is partisan? they’re literally a terrorist group. they have in their doctrine a call to Jihad for the killing of all Jews, rejection of any peace negotiations with Israel or Egypt, and the complete destruction of Israel and all its people.
how? they actually acknowledged the Palestinians in their statement. “all Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be stalked by grief, fear and anger in the time to come. Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds.”
seems neutral to me? they have to condemn the terrorist Hamas group for instigating the attacks on Israeli civilians. otherwise they’ll be supporting them?
The other Royals could have ended the statement with all “Israelis and Palestinians”. That would have been the true neutral statement. Instead, they give the standard western party line which is to condemn Hamas, which I’m sure they were told to include. To say that is not being partisan is being disingenuous.
i think we can agree to disagree. i don’t think i have seen any statement by any western official that has used other language to outright condemn Israel. my point is they actually used the term Palestinians, which is more than what a lot of other statements have. in a lot of pro-israel circles and statements, they don’t even recognize Palestinians as a group of people. While not perfectly emphasized, even acknowledging their suffering is less partisan imo.
have to respectfully disagree. did not read as taking a side. in fact, actually calling attention to the horror the Palestinians have to endure during the conflict. M&H’s statement made no mention to any Palestinians and only mentioned frontline aid in Israel, no mention of Gaza.
YASSSSS! no respect for Palestinians is shown by ANYONE and its wrong. Their babies are without water or electricity, they are being forced to flee and then Isreal is denying their passport so they can basically be killed….I’m horrified.
Referencing Israel having a right of self defence is not a neutral statement. It might align with the position of the UK government, but it assumes something that others are disputing, which by definition makes it partisan and not neutral.
Calling Hamas terrorist and acknowledging Israel’s right to defend itself is the standard line of the west. So it is very much partisan. And I’m not saying one is right or wrong, just that is western policy. And where did the Sussexes statement mention aid is only being given to Israel when they said the words “all”. Not ” all Israelis ” or only Israelis.
Hamas is a terrorist group. that is a fact. condemning them is the right thing to do. Israel’s response right now is up for criticism bc they are targeting civilians. two wrongs don’t make a right. harry and meghan’s statement can be interpreted as is, with no mention of Palestinians, that they are mainly supporting aid in Israel as it is one sentence: “We are supporting our partners and organizations on the frontlines in Israel to provide the urgent aid needed, and to help all innocent victims of this unconscionable level of human suffering.”
@MSIAM You do realise that Hamas’ own charter literally states one of its goals as the genocide of the Jewish people? That there is a passage about even ‘the rocks and trees’ refusing to shelter the Jews so that they may be slaughtered? When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Hamas makes no attempt to hide its intentions. The Palestinian people have legitimate grievances against the state of Israel, however I don’t know how you can jump from this to your active support of Hamas. Hamas IS a terrorist organisation.
Good on Charles for calling Abdullah, whose country is a major lifeline for Palestinians.
Now the right wing press is using King and heir’s statements to bash the BBC.
I was wondering if that might happen. The BBC put out a long article explaining why they don’t call Hamas terrorists. I thought it was bs. 🤷♀️
So for Charles (and W&K 🙄) to use the word terrorism is a definitely a choice, given their relationship with the press.
The following is my opinion, feel free to ignore: (I’m going to address the current situation-Israel/Palestinian history is far too much to delve into and frankly I’m not educated enough to speak on it, thanks to those above who laid some of it out! But I am a Jew and I have been following what happens in Israel and how the US responds for decades, does that qualify me to speak on it? Maybe not, like I said, feel free to ignore me.)
Hamas are terrorists and have used the Palestinian people as a human shields ever since they took hold in Gaza. The Israeli response will absolutely only make the Palestinian suffering worse, already happening for days now.
Bibi and his Gov’t are corrupt and Israelis have been in the streets protesting him/it by the hundreds of thousands prior to Hamas’ attack.
The average Israelis and Palestinians don’t want any of this and no one should be slaughtered, especially children. It is possible to call out Hamas as terrorists, object to Bibi/his govt and sympathize with both the innocent Israelis and Palestinians at the same time. I certainly do.
From an American (left) perspective what is happening right now is all thanks in part to that despicable Diaper Don spilling Israeli top secret intelligence to Putin/the Russians (and bragging about it), who are aligned w/Iran, who train and fund Hamas. Putin bought Trump and the GOP in 2015/16 and here we are-war in Ukraine the GOP doesn’t want to support, now a war in Israel they want to support (they really don’t care about Israel, it’s all about Iran’s oil-see Lindsey Grahams recent statements about going in and taking Iran’s oil) and this will help distract from Ukraine and potentially divert funding for Ukraine, all to serve Putin. To further politicize a fucking war to further their agenda, GOP are also claiming Biden funded this by “giving” Iran “US tax payer” $6B for five American hostages-in reality the money was paid by S Korea to Iran for oil and due to sanctions was frozen. Since the hostage agreement, it has been frozen in a Qatar bank, and may only be spent on humanitarian purposes. Today the White House shut all that down by saying going forward no money would be approved for any spending by Iran. Trump yesterday called Hamas and Hezbollah “very smart” and insulted Israel. This is personal for the thin-skinned Cheeto as he even admitted he was pissed Bibi was the first world leader to call Biden and congratulate him in the 2020 win. That scumbag is so petty and fucking evil. Some GOP are calling him out on it and the White House did too, calling him unhinged which is the perfect descriptor. I’ll spare you all the rest of my opinions about American politics except to say it’s an absolute shit show. Anyway, that’s my TedTalk, hope I didn’t piss too many people off.
Not pissed off. You wrote a very interesting and thought provoking piece. Room for everyone here.
Netanyahu Has been fragile. This past summer there were huge Israeli protests against him, with hundreds of thousands attending. I’ve seen a few things posted by Israelis that state he’s been keeping hamas around as the political boogie man. I’m concerned about the war time government they just formed, because I don’t trust anyone to reform the government in a few days to give themselves more power. Especially because he’s the Trump of Israel. He’s doing what the people around trump wanted him to do on Jan 6.
My heart goes out to the innocent people in Israel who were attacked, r*ped, m*rdered and all the truly unspeakable things that are ongoing. Hamas is a terrorist organization. My heart goes out to the people of Gaza as well, who are going to pay dearly for something they knew nothing about, and are being held hostage by Hamas as well.
Agreed – all the Israelis (except the very religious) hate him and call him their trump.
Willy and his lifelong mission declarations. I’d be too ashamed to show my face if I kept making empty, grandiose promises that delivered absolutely nothing. Didn’t he promise to end hunger this year? He’s such a joke.
Charles gave a great statement. It was a kingly statement.
Being british w&k can’t pretend to not know the timeline of events. They got too political. It brings us to the root cause of why there is a hamas on the first place! When Britain pushed the Palestinians
to the edges or Buffer Zones instead of forcing them to completely move.
This isn’t even really a surprise attack. The only surprise is how far they got. how did they manage to get paragliders!! Turkey couldnt even sneak food over. Remember the flotillas?
There is a large group of academics that think this stems from the isreali people protesting bibi. I can’t remember when bibi tried to take over their Supreme Court but that was the last straw for a lot of isrealis. We think of Israelis as super rich but there are many regular people who can’t just hop on a plane and go. They are tired of living in a police state as well. Only one group of Israelis conscript. So while outsiders yap those people do real patrolling. The celebrities you see have a different army experience. They gaurd different types of checkpoints.
What a nonsensical kneejerk response Bean. I can’t see anywhere in the comment you replied to any justification of the actions of Hamas? In fact, the comment didn’t even mention Hamas. It made a factual statement that aid was not allowed in. Then a reference to the apartheid Palestinians have been living under for decades.
People are acting like suggested the situation is nuanced equals YAY TERRORISM AND INNOCENTS SUFFERING! As though this incredibly complex geo political situation hasn’t been going for decades. People
on their high horse condemning the terror attack but cheer the bombing of innocent civilians. Make it make sense.
Yeah it’s complex but it’s also kinda not. IDK…. I guess I’d say it’s complex by design. Because honestly, 5 million people living in a 2500 sq mile open-air prison is simply cruel AF. Being starved of basics like water, supplies, food etc is a special kind of torture and a hallmark of the inhumane treatment leveled at the Palestinian people. Telling the Palestinian people to flee to safety because brutal acts of war are about to be leveled against them is pretty rich. Flee to where, exactly? They’re already trapped; they’re already being held captive.
So yes, I unequivocally condemn Hamas and I feel terrible for the innocent Israelis killed in the recent terror attack. But the events that led to this moment did not occur in a vacuum–the situation in Palestine has been a veritable powder-keg for decades now.
W&K’s statement isn’t terrible and yeah, at least they acknowledged the Palestinian people which is something sorely lacking in MSM coverage.
A thing that majorly pisses me off is that the British government gets to wash their hands of their own role in partitioning land in the 20th century and the subsequent and horribly blood conflicts which followed.