Shimon Peres was being laid to rest on Friday in a ceremony
attended by thousands of admirers and dozens of international dignitaries — in
a final tribute to a man who personified the history of Israel during a
remarkable seven-decade political career and who came to be seen by many as a
potent symbol of hopes of Mideast peace.
U.S. President Barack Obama, former U.S. President Bill
Clinton and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas headlined a long list of world
leaders who converged on Israel's national cemetery, Mount Herzl, for the
event. In a nod to the Palestinian leader, Abbas sat in the front row at the
memorial service.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the gathering of
world leaders was a testament to Peres' optimism, quest for peace and love for
Israel.
"He was a great man of Israel. He was a great man of
the world. Israel grieves for him. The world grieves for him," Netanyahu
said.
Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who held every major
office in Israel, including president and prime minister, died Wednesday, two
weeks after suffering a stroke. He was 93.
Friday's funeral was Israel's largest gathering of
international dignitaries since the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin,
Peres' partner in peace, who was killed by a Jewish nationalist in 1995. The
funeral created numerous logistical and security challenges, and roads,
including the main highway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, were closed.
Peres and Netanyahu were fierce political rivals and had
vastly different world visions. But Netanyahu said they enjoyed a strong
personal relationship and described Peres as a man of vision.
"I loved you. We all loved you. Farewell Shimon. Dear
man. Great leader," he said.
Peres' casket lay in state on Thursday outside the
parliament building, where thousands of people, including Clinton, came to pay
their respects. Early Friday, an honor guard escorted the casket, along with
Peres' family, along the short route to the cemetery.
Both Obama and Clinton were set to address the funeral.
Obama and Peres enjoyed a friendly relationship, and in 2012, Obama awarded
Peres the presidential Medal of Freedom. Clinton was president when Peres
negotiated a historic interim peace accord with the Palestinians in 1993.
The United States delegation also included Secretary of
State John Kerry and about 20 members of Congress and several administration
officials. French President Francois Hollande, Britain's Prince Charles, German
President Joachim Gauck and scores of other world leaders were also attending.
While Peres is viewed in the West as a visionary advocate
for peace, his legacy in the Arab world is mixed and reaction has been subdued.
Animosity toward Israel remains strong in the Arab world, especially at a time
of deadlock in peace efforts, and Peres is still associated with wars and
settlement construction that took place during his lengthy career.
Abbas, however, was one of the lone Arab voices to express
his sadness over Peres' death, and his aides say he wanted to recognize Peres
for his years of efforts to promote peace. Abbas and Netanyahu, who have barely
spoken to one another during the past seven years, briefly chatted at the
ceremony. Abbas greeted the families of Peres and Rabin, shaking hands and
hugging dovish Israeli leaders before he was seated in the front row.
In an unprecedented seven-decade political career, Peres
filled nearly every position in Israeli public life and was credited with
leading the country through some of its most defining moments: creating what is
believed to be a nuclear arsenal in the 1950s; disentangling its troops from
Lebanon and rescuing its economy from triple-digit inflation in the 1980s; and
guiding a skeptical nation into peace talks with the Palestinians in the 1990s.
A protege of David Ben-Gurion, Israel's founding father and
first prime minister, Peres served in parliament for nearly half a century,
held every major Cabinet post, including defense, finance and foreign affairs,
and served three brief stints as prime minister. He was the country's elder
statesman as its ceremonial president between 2007 and 2014.
Peres created his non-governmental Peres Center for Peace,
which raised funds and ran programs for cooperation and development projects
involving Israel, the Palestinians and Arab nations. He was a huge proponent of
Israeli technology and innovation, and gained international recognition as a
globe-trotting celebrity preaching peace and coexistence.
CAPTION FOR ABOVE STORY
Knesset guards carry the flag-draped coffin during the
funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Mount Herzel national
cemetery in Jerusalem, Friday, Sept. 30, 2016.
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