Died the former President of Israel Shimon Peres
Died the former President of Israel Shimon Peres. He has served as a constant force for several generations in Israeli politics. 93-year-old Perez died of a massive stroke that happened 2 weeks ago. Initially he was told by doctors, was on the mend, but at one point everything turned for the worse.
Took over the post, Shimon Peres became the face of the Jewish state, was immediately recognized as the respected in Israel and around the globe. He served in senior leadership positions for decades.
"There's a corner in this country, which he had not touched," said one Chairman of the Zionist Union Isaac Herzog. "Wherever he goes around the world, people listen to him."
Perez resigned from government service in 2014 after finishing his 7th term as President. In Israeli politics for more than half a century he has held almost all positions in the Cabinet, from the Minister of defence to the Prime Minister.
He competed with the Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin for leadership of the labour party in 1980-ies and 1990-ies, in the end, became Minister of foreign Affairs Rabin. In this role, Perez signed a peace agreement in Oslo, for which he was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1994.
After Rabin was assassinated in 1995, Peres became Prime Minister, appointing early elections. As the ninth President of Israel, he appealed to Turkish leaders in 2007, becoming the first President of Israel, who decided to talk to the legislature of a Muslim country. He called for peace talks in 2011 with the Palestinians and warned the United Nations against the recognition of Palestine as an independent state outside the scope of the peace plan. He received the us presidential medal of Freedom in 2012 from President Barack Obama.
After leaving office in 2014, he remained in the public eye, continuing his work for peace in the middle East.
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