His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has placed a private donation to the Israeli Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation, it was announced today.
The Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation, founded in 1996 by the late President of Israel, Shimon Peres, develops and implements impactful and meaningful programmes with a focus on promoting a prosperous Israel, nurturing and highlighting Israeli innovation, and paving the way for shared-living between all of Israel’s citizens and lasting peace between Israel and its neighbours.
It is the first Israeli non-profit to receive support from a member of the Royal Family.
HRH The Prince of Wales had visited Israel in January 2020 for his first official visit, at the invitation of the Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin, to attend the World Holocaust Forum, marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The Prince had also attended the late Israeli President’s Shimon Peres’ funeral in late 2016. He then expressed his great admiration of President Peres’ work for peace, and his legacy.
The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, had met with the Peres Centre’s senior staff and Jewish and Arab Children at the Centre’s Sport in the Service of Peace programmes, during his first official visit to Israel in 2018. His trip marked the first time a member of the British royal family had made an official visit to the Jewish state.
Her Majesty The Queen awarded Shimon Peres the Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2008 – a first for an Israeli President.
British Ambassador to Israel H.E. Neil Wigan said: “We were honoured to host The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge in Israel in past years. This private donation demonstrates the impact of those visits and the importance of the relationship between Israel and the UK”.
Chairman of the Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation, Chemi Peres said: “It is a great honour to be the first Israeli non-profit to receive support from a member of the Royal Family. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales’ generosity will help ensure that the Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation continues Shimon Peres’ legacy of building a better future for all people. Especially in the midst of a global pandemic, it is important to reach beyond borders for the sake of a better tomorrow. I thank His Royal Highness for joining hands with us”.
