Shimon Peres, Israel’s warrior of peace, dead

Jerusalem, Sept. 28: Israeli ex-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres died on Wednesday, some two weeks after suffering a major stroke, triggering an outpouring of grief for the historic figure and beloved statesman.

Peres, who was 93, held nearly every major office in the country, serving twice as prime minister and also as president, a mostly ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014.

He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo accords, which envisioned an independent Palestinian state.

US President Barack Obama immediately hailed Peres as a friend who “never gave up on the possibility of peace.”

Obama was among world leaders such as Britain’s Prince Charles and French President Francois Hollande planning to attend Peres’ funeral at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl on Friday.

POLITICAL CAREER

Peres was a young aide to the nation’s founding fathers when the country declared independence in 1948, and he played a key role in turning Israel into a military power.

He was part of the negotiations that sealed the first Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, garnering a Nobel Peace Prize. He was welcomed like royalty in world capitals.

As president, Peres tirelessly jetted around the world to represent his country at conferences, ceremonies and international gatherings. He also became Israel’s moderate face at a time when the nation was led by hardline Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Peres sought to reassure the international community that Israel seeks peace, despite international concerns over West Bank. Beyond his accomplishments in the public eye, he was seen as a driving force in the development of Israel’s undeclared nuclear programme. — Agencies