Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud AbbasReuters

Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday welcomed this summer's visit by Prince William.

"We look forward to contributing to strengthening the bonds of friendship between the two peoples," a statement from Abbas’s bureau said, calling the visit "important".

Kensington Palace announced the trip earlier Thursday that will also take the prince to Israel and Jordan.

It would be the first official trip to the PA territories by a member of the British royal family, noted AFP. Prince William will also be the first senior British royal to make an official visit to Israel.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu welcomed the announcement, calling the upcoming visit "historic."

"We welcome the announcement on the arrival of Prince William to Israel. This is a historic visit, the first of its kind, and it will be greeted here with great affection."

"I have instructed the Foreign Ministry director general to coordinate the preparations ahead of the visit in order to ensure its success," the Prime Minister said.

British Ambassador to Israel David Quarrey told Arutz Sheva later on Thursday that Prince William’s visit highlights the unprecedented level of cooperation between the Jewish state and the United Kingdom.

"This will be the first official visit by a senior member of the Royal Family to Israel, and it is going to be a great opportunity to showcase just how much we're doing together, between the UK and Israel, these days, whether it is in science, technology, trade or investment, and in security cooperation, we're doing better than we've ever done before," said Quarrey.

In 2017, Prince Charles, Prince William’s father, had planned a state visit to Israel, but later cancelled.

Members of the British Royal Family have made private trips to Israel in the past, including a visit by Prince Charles to his grandmother’s grave on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

AFP contributed to this report.