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Prince William stirs excitement and reflection as he throws himself into Israel's 'vibrancy'

Israel correspondent Nathan Jeffay on how the Duke's visit paid tribute to the country's fast and saw a glimpse of its future

June 27, 2018 17:08
Prince William meets Eurovision winner Netta in Tel Aviv on June 27, 2018
3 min read

Prince William enthused this week about Israel’s “vibrancy”, throwing himself into local culture, marvelling at home-grown hi-tech, playing ball on the beach, hanging out with Jewish and Arab children, and meeting the Eurovision-winning Netta.

British and Israeli flags fluttered virtually everywhere the Duke stepped during the visit, with crowds of admirers gathering anywhere that stringent security would allow them. When he got a private showing of top tech innovations, one word from the Royal said it all: “Wow.”

He went to lengths to meet as many Israelis as possible but needed no help connecting the dots between Jewish suffering, the Jewish state today, and the country’s future.

Erev tov lekulam — good evening everyone — were the Hebrew words he used to open his speech at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv.