Former Israeli leader Shimon Peres, 93, dies after stroke
Shimon Peres, Israel’s most senior statesman who fought in the country’s war of independence, died Wednesday after a stroke, according to the Israeli media.
Peres, 93, spent his final days fighting for his life in a Tel Aviv hospital after suffering a stroke Sept. 13. Doctors said Peres suffered severe organ failure Tuesday, as well as irreversible brain damage, as a result of the massive hemorrhagic stroke, The Jerusa
lem Post reported. The former-soldier-turnedpolitician who initiated the country’s nuclear program, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role in crafting the Oslo Accords, an agreement that called for a Palestinian state at peace with Israel.
In a statement from the White House, President Obama described Peres as a friend and a leader who changed the course of history.
“Shimon was the essence of Israel itself — the courage of Israel’s fight for independence, the optimism he shared with his wife Sonya as they helped make the desert bloom, and the perseverance that led him to serve his nation in virtually every position in government across the entire life of the State of Israel,” Obama said.
Over a 55-year political career, Peres’ roles included prime minister (three terms), foreign minister, finance minister and deputy defense minister. He served as president, a largely ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014. He played a major role in developing Israel’s defense and security industry, which now supplies the U.S. military and other armed forces around the world with cutting-edge technology and innovations such as missile defense, cybersecurity and drones.
In his later years, Peres was a champion of economic and cultural exchange between Israelis and Palestinians. He also founded the Peres Center for Peace in 1996 to promote coexistence between Arabs and Jews in Israel.
“Barbara and I join Shimon Peres’ countless admirers around the world in saluting his singular life of service — to the universal cause of freedom, to the timeless cause of Israel, to the noblest cause of peace,” said former U.S. president George H.W. Bush said in a statement. “Shimon Peres time and again helped guide his beloved country through the crucible of mortal challenge.”