Dignitaries arrive for funeral of Peres

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 that is 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, French President François Hollande, German President Joachim Gauck and Prince Charles of Britain. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also confirmed his participation, as did representatives from Egypt and Jordan, the two Arab countries at peace with Israel.