And he's afraid to improve Israel's image by coming here? Perhaps he should stay at home and work on his own.
And while he's at it, perhaps he should improve his wife's crooked teeth. Doesn't the Royal Family have proper dentists?
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| By: Israel Insider staff |
| Published: November 16, 2007 |
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The Jewish Chronicle in London reported a leaked email exchange between two of Prince Charles' closest aides that exposes the Royal Family's continuing refusal to visit Israel officially, reportedly so as not to help it improves its international image.
Earlier this year, the Ambassador Zvi Heifetz invited Sir Michael Peat, Prince Charles' Principal Private Secretary, and Clive Alderton, Deputy Private Secretary, to Israel for a four-day visit as guests of the Knesset. The invitation was seen as a prelude to a possible official visit by the Prince, which would have been the first-ever state visit by a British royal to Israel.
Sir Michael -- copying in Alderton -- initially expressed enthusiasm for the idea, replying in an email to the embassy: "The invitation is hugely appreciated and Clive and I would love to come." But just a month later, Alderton privately sought reassurance from his superior that the pair need never accept the invitation.
Alderton -- whose responsibilities include foreign affairs and relations with ethnic and faith communities -- complained to Sir Michael in an email of being "pursued" by the Israeli ambassador, and asked: ?Safe to assume there is no chance of this visit ever actually happening? Acceptance would make it hard to avoid the many ways in which Israel would want HRH [Prince Charles] to help burnish its international image. In which case, let's agree a way to lower his expectations."
When confronted with the email by the Jewish Chronical, a spokesman for the Prince of Wales downplayed its significance as "simply an internal email" and cited activities by Charles with the British Jewish community. Ambassador Heifetz, apparently trying to finesse the dispute, said about Charles: "We hope to see him one day in Israel."
No member of the British royal family has yet visited Israel in an official capacity. Prince Philip was there in 1994 to attend a Yad Vashem ceremony to honour his late mother, and Prince Charles attended the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Prince Edward visited Israel in September, but the royal household insisted that this was a private trip.
Henry Grunwald, president of the Board of Deputies and chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, sought to defend Charles, whom he described as "a great friend of Israel," adding: "I am sure he will be deeply disturbed that some people might interpret these unfortunate emails as conveying any hostility to Israel at all. I hope that his advisers will be able to co-ordinate their diaries so as to enable them to visit Israel in the near future."
Yes, quite right.
Jeremy Newmark, chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, was a little less enthusiastic: "The tone of the email is deeply unfortunate." The Israeli Foreign Ministry declined to comment. |
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