Trudeau, Harper, Chretien to attend Shimon Peres funeral
- by Paula Vaughn
- in Culture
- — Oct 3, 2016
Peres died around 3:00am (0000 GMT), Rafi Walden, who was Peres's personal doctor and also his son-in-law, told AFP.
Within hours of the announcement that Peres had died, Israel's Foreign Ministry announced a list of people confirmed to be attending the funeral.
The Polish-born Peres, whose family moved in the 1930s to then British-ruled Palestine, was part of nearly every major political development in Israel from its founding in 1948.
The Israeli cabinet held a special meeting on Wednesday to mourn the passing of Mr Peres (93), observing a minute's silence. "He contributed to Israel's security and deterrence; he fought resolutely against terrorism; and he relentlessly pursued peace", Herzog added.
A Canadian delegation headed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has arrived in Israel for the state funeral of Shimon Peres, the former Israeli president and prime minister.
Edelstein also lit a memorial candle for Peres at the entrance to the Knesset and recited Psalms in his memory. Until his death, Peres believed there could be peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
An unconfirmed report in Israeli media said Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, the leader of the Gulf state of Oman, which has no diplomatic ties with Israel, is considering attending the funeral.
Interior Minister Arye Deri called Peres a true friend, and a man of vision who respected all.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin are laying wreaths on the casket of Shimon Peres in the plaza of Israel's parliament, the Knesset.
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"How else can you feel when you stand next to Shimon Peres, the eternal optimist?" he said.
Clinton landed in Israel Thursday morning on the private jet of Israeli-American billionaire Haim Saban, according to a spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority.
Earlier, former U.S. President Bill Clinton had confirmed that he would attend the funeral, and that was corroborated by the presidential campaign of his wife, Hillary Clinton.
Clinton was a longtime friend of Peres since his term in the White House during the height of the Oslo peace process in the 1990s.
"Many Jews in NY, particularly older Jews, will remember the very import role that Peres played in shaping the modern State of Israel", Cohen said.
"Though he is no longer with us", Johnston said in a statement, "I hope that the legacy he left - as former president and prime minister of Israel and as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient - will let us strive for a better, more peaceful world".
Peres, who was 93, held almost every major office in the country, serving twice as prime minister and also as president, a mostly ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014.
In addition to Obama and Bill Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Britain's Prince Charles, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and French President Francois Hollande were expected. It is expected to be the largest such gathering in Israel since the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by a Jewish nationalist in 1995. "Peres is the story of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, as a son of Holocaust survivors, an immigrant, a farmer, a man of defense and diplomacy".
