World leaders gather for Peres funeral

Thousands of Israelis flocked to parliament Thursday to view the casket of Shimon Peres, paying final respects to the former president and prime minister whose life story mirrored that of his country.

Dignitaries began arriving for a funeral – expected to be Israel’s largest since that of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Peres’ partner in peace who was slain by a Jewish nationalist in 1995.

Peres’ office said more than 90 delegations from 70 countries have confirmed their participation, including U.S. President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Francois Hollande, German President Joachim Gauck, Prince Charles of Britain and King Felipe VI of Spain.

After an initial hesitation due to the collapse of peace efforts, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also confirmed his participation, as did representatives from Egypt and Jordan – the two Arab countries at peace with Israel. That was a testament to the wide reach of Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was his country’s strongest advocate for ending the conflict in the Middle East.