The Israeli cabinet is holding a special mourning session in his memory. Numerous Israeli politicians have expressed their grief at his passing and from all over the world, consolation has been pouring in from statesmen and country leaders.
American President Barak Obama said that “Peres changed the course of history.” Bill Clinton called Peres “a true and treasured friend.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that “Peres was, above all, a man of peace and a man dedicated to the well-being of the Jewish people.”
U.S. President Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and former UK Prime Minister David Cameron are among the world leaders who will attend his funeral on Friday. Numerous European and Asian heads of state also announced their coming.
Peres’s public role began at the age of 30, when he was appointed the general director of the Defense Ministry. He served as Foreign Minister in Rabin’s government, and as Prime Minister from 1984-1986 and again for 7 months after Rabin’s assassination. He was Israel’s President for 7 years, from 2007 to 2014.
Astonishing, he reached all these positions despite never winning an election. He never had to face primaries either, and for several national elections was the only politician automatically given a place (#2) on the Labor and Kadima party list. Even his tenure as Israeli President was only achieved after back-room deals that culminated in a secret Knesset vote.
Among Peres’s noted accomplishments was arranging weaponry for the fledgling Israeli state, founding the Dimona nuclear reaction, the recovery of the economy in the 1980’s, and leading the Oslo Accords in 1993, which was done after he illegally established contact with the PLO. This act, which many Israelis see as catastrophic for Israel and leading to thousands of Israeli deaths, won him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 together with President Clinton and unrepentant terrorist Yasser Arafat. The religious community appreciated him for expediting army deferment for yeshiva students together with Prime Minister Ben Gurion in the early years of the State.
Peres, who started out as a hawk and then turned into an inveterate dove, was unique in being the only Israeli politician who was more popular internationally than he was at home. He was the sole Israeli politician who threw birthday party bashes for his 80th and 90th birthday, which were attended by hundreds of international celebrities from the world of politics and entertainment.
