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Prince Charles arrives in Bethlehem ahead of talks Prince Charles calls for 'lasting peace' on Bethlehem visit
(32 minutes later)
The Prince of Wales has arrived in Bethlehem on his first visit to the occupied territories. The Prince of Wales has said he will pray for "a just and lasting peace" in the Middle East, on his first visit to the occupied territories.
Prince Charles visited the old Ottoman marketplace in Manger Square and the Mosque of Omar, which is opposite the site said to be where Jesus was born. In a speech in Bethlehem, Prince Charles said he had been "struck by the energy, warmth and remarkable generosity of the Palestinian people".
Later, the prince will hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. During the trip, the prince visited the Mosque of Omar, and a church built on a site said to be where Jesus was born.
He is also expected to visit the grave of his paternal-grandmother, Princess Alice, who is buried in the nearby city of Jerusalem. He will hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later.
During his visit to the mosque, the prince heard how Christians and Muslims had lived peacefully alongside each other in the town for centuries. The prince said he had "endeavoured to build bridges between different religions" across the world and that it "breaks my heart... to see such suffering and division".
The mosque is named after the Caliph Omar, who conquered Jerusalem in 637 but guaranteed that Christians would be free to continue to worship. "No-one arriving in Bethlehem today could miss the signs of continued hardship and the situation you face, and I can only join you, and all communities, in your prayers for a just and lasting peace," he said.
His promise was laid out in the Assurance of Omar, a copy of which was given to the prince. "We must pursue this cause with faith and determination, striving to heal the wounds which have caused such pain."
The governor of Bethlehem Kamel Hmeid told Charles the story of how Omar was invited to pray inside the Church of the Nativity, opposite, but refused, saying that if he did it would become a mosque. Instead he prayed outside. He added that it was his "dearest wish" that the future would bring "freedom, justice and equality" to Palestinians.
The message of religious co-existence was "a wonderful example", Charles said. Later, the prince will hold talks with President Abbas and is expected to visit the grave of his paternal-grandmother, Princess Alice, who is buried in the nearby city of Jerusalem.
Charles is on the second of a two-day tour in the Middle East. The Prince of Wales is on the second of a two-day tour in the Middle East.
On Thursday, he addressed world leaders at the World Holocaust Forum to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi death camp at Auschwitz in Poland.On Thursday, he addressed world leaders at the World Holocaust Forum to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi death camp at Auschwitz in Poland.
During his speech in Jerusalem, he warned that lessons of the Holocaust are still "searingly relevant" and called on leaders to be "fearless in confronting falsehoods" and violence.During his speech in Jerusalem, he warned that lessons of the Holocaust are still "searingly relevant" and called on leaders to be "fearless in confronting falsehoods" and violence.