Britain's Prince William meets Israeli president, PM

JERUSALEM - Britain's Prince William on Tuesday held meetings with Israel's President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

During their meeting, Netanyahu gave the prince a replica Righteous Among the Nations Certificate for Princess Alice, who was granted the title in 1993.

Rivlin told the prince that Israel "really appreciates the connection and the cooperation between our two states; the cooperation, the trade between us, and the friendship."

Noting that Prince William was to meet Wednesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, Rivlin asked the prince to convey "a peaceful message" to the Palestinian leader.

"It is about time that we have to find together the way to build confidence as the first step to bring an end to the tragedy between us that has continued for more than 100 years," Rivlin said.

The president stressed the importance of the freedom of worship in Israel.

Prince William said he was "looking forward to getting to meet as many Israelis as possible, and understanding Israeli history and culture over the next few days."

The prince also visited Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, and met with Haimaki and Rachel Cohen, two Holocaust survivors, who were rescued by Princess Alice, William's great-grandmother.

Prince William started his Middle East tour on Sunday in Jordan, and arrived in Israel on Monday night.

His father, Prince Charles, had previously visited Israel for the funeral of former prime minister Yitzchak Rabin and attended the funeral of Israel's former president Shimon Peres.