Israeli ex-president and Nobel laureate Peres dies
AP, Jerusalem :
Shimon Peres, a former Israeli president and prime minister, whose life story mirrored that of the Jewish state and who was celebrated around the world as a Nobel Prize-winning visionary who pushed his country toward peace, died early Wednesday. He was 93.
News of Peres’ death was met with an outpouring of tributes from around the world, with leaders praising him as a statesman committed to peace. Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced that an array of global leaders and dignitaries, including President Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton, would attend the funeral on Friday.
Peres suffered a debilitating stroke on Sept. 13 and had remained hospitalized since then. His son, Chemi, confirmed his death Wednesday morning to reporters gathered at the hospital where Peres had been treated. Peres was sedated and on a respirator during most of his hospitalization.
“Our father’s legacy has always been to look to tomorrow,” he said. “We were privileged to be part of his private family, but today we sense that the entire nation of Israel and the global community share this great loss. We share this pain together.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Peres as a “man of vision” and convened his Cabinet for a special meeting.
“As a man of security, he fortified Israel’s strength in many ways, some of which even today are still unknown,” he said. “As a man of peace, he worked until his final days toward reconciling with our neighbors for a better future for our children.”
Officials said that Peres’ body would lie in state at the Knesset, or parliament, on Thursday to allow the public to pay final respects. His funeral was set for Friday at Mount Herzl, the country’s national cemetery in Jerusalem. Yona Bartal, a former personal aide to Peres, said the arrangements were in line with his wishes.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Obama, the Clintons, Britain’s Prince Charles, French President Francois Hollande and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were among those who were expected. Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said the list was expected to grow.
Obama, who awarded Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, eulogized Peres as a man who represented “the essence of Israel itself.”
“There are few people who we share this world with who change the course of human history, not just through their role in human events, but because they expand our moral imagination and force us to expect more of ourselves. My friend Shimon was one of those people,” he said.
Shimon Peres’ son-in-law, Dr. Rafi Walden, said the family had spoken to Obama overnight and was “very moved.” Walden, who was also Peres’ personal physician, said he died overnight “without suffering.”
Shimon Peres, a former Israeli president and prime minister, whose life story mirrored that of the Jewish state and who was celebrated around the world as a Nobel Prize-winning visionary who pushed his country toward peace, died early Wednesday. He was 93.
News of Peres’ death was met with an outpouring of tributes from around the world, with leaders praising him as a statesman committed to peace. Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced that an array of global leaders and dignitaries, including President Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton, would attend the funeral on Friday.
Peres suffered a debilitating stroke on Sept. 13 and had remained hospitalized since then. His son, Chemi, confirmed his death Wednesday morning to reporters gathered at the hospital where Peres had been treated. Peres was sedated and on a respirator during most of his hospitalization.
“Our father’s legacy has always been to look to tomorrow,” he said. “We were privileged to be part of his private family, but today we sense that the entire nation of Israel and the global community share this great loss. We share this pain together.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Peres as a “man of vision” and convened his Cabinet for a special meeting.
“As a man of security, he fortified Israel’s strength in many ways, some of which even today are still unknown,” he said. “As a man of peace, he worked until his final days toward reconciling with our neighbors for a better future for our children.”
Officials said that Peres’ body would lie in state at the Knesset, or parliament, on Thursday to allow the public to pay final respects. His funeral was set for Friday at Mount Herzl, the country’s national cemetery in Jerusalem. Yona Bartal, a former personal aide to Peres, said the arrangements were in line with his wishes.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Obama, the Clintons, Britain’s Prince Charles, French President Francois Hollande and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were among those who were expected. Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said the list was expected to grow.
Obama, who awarded Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, eulogized Peres as a man who represented “the essence of Israel itself.”
“There are few people who we share this world with who change the course of human history, not just through their role in human events, but because they expand our moral imagination and force us to expect more of ourselves. My friend Shimon was one of those people,” he said.
Shimon Peres’ son-in-law, Dr. Rafi Walden, said the family had spoken to Obama overnight and was “very moved.” Walden, who was also Peres’ personal physician, said he died overnight “without suffering.”
