Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe to pay first visit to Israel

Prince Felipe and his wife, Princess Letizia, to attend a reception at Tel Aviv University; Peres to host state dinner in their honor.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
prince felipe princess letizia spain 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
prince felipe princess letizia spain 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Within the framework of high-level exchanges between Madrid and Jerusalem to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Spanish Crown Prince Felipe and his wife, Princess Letizia, will visit Israel this week.
It will be the first time that the royal couple will set foot in Jerusalem, although the Prince’s parents, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, visited Israel in 1993.
The mutual exchanges began in February when Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jiminez visited Israel and President Shimon Peres then visited Spain.
Peres will host a state dinner for the royal couple on Monday evening.
Earlier in the day, the royals will attend a reception at Tel Aviv University.
When the university’s Board of Governors convened in Madrid two months ago, TAU president Prof. Joseph Klafter invited the prince to visit the university and meet with young scientific researchers who will present some of their findings.
Klafter hopes that such a meeting will lead to increased scientific cooperation between Israeli and Spanish academic institutions.
The high-level exchanges will continue throughout the year. Among them will be a visit to Spain by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accompanied by several cabinet ministers who will meet in Madrid with Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and members of his cabinet. No date has yet been set for this meeting.
Netanyahu’s father, Prof. Benzion Netanyahu, who turned 101 on March 25, is a world expert on the golden age of the Jewish history of Spain.