This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/sep/28/shimon-peres-dies-global-reaction-to-former-israeli-leaders-death-latest
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Shimon Peres dies: global reaction to former Israeli leader's death – latest | Shimon Peres dies: global reaction to former Israeli leader's death – latest |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 5.34am BST | |
| 05:34 | |
| “Today with deep sorrow we bid farewell to our beloved father, the 9th president of Israel,” Peres’s son Chemi said at the medical centre where his father was being treated in the final days of his life. | |
| “Our father’s legacy has always been to look to tomorrow. We were privileged to be part of his private family, but today we sense that the entire nation of Israel and the global community share this great loss. We share this pain together.” | |
| 5.32am BST | |
| 05:32 | |
| The Guardian’s obituary says “ever since the state of Israel was created in 1948, Shimon Peres... was at or near the centre of action”. | |
| Peres was an intriguingly contradictory figure: a romantic in a cynical age, an Israeli icon with a Polish accent and francophone sensibility, who carried about him the taint (deserved or otherwise) of political chicanery. Unlike holiness, he told David Frost, politics is built on compromise. | |
| 5.22am BST | |
| 05:22 | |
| Peter Beaumont | |
| “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara express deep personal sorrow over the passing of the nation’s beloved former president, Shimon Peres,” a statement issued by the office of the prime minister reads. | |
| “The prime minister will deliver a special address this morning and convene the cabinet for a mourning session.” | |
| 5.19am BST | 5.19am BST |
| 05:19 | 05:19 |
| Rafi Walden, Peres’s son-in-law and his physician, said the former prime minister and president “left us without suffering”. | Rafi Walden, Peres’s son-in-law and his physician, said the former prime minister and president “left us without suffering”. |
| He said world leaders who met Peres in his final years would pay deference to the statesman “like students standing before the rabbi eager to learn his lessons”. | He said world leaders who met Peres in his final years would pay deference to the statesman “like students standing before the rabbi eager to learn his lessons”. |
| 5.11am BST | 5.11am BST |
| 05:11 | 05:11 |
| Chemi Peres on his late father: | Chemi Peres on his late father: |
| He was one of the founding fathers of the state of Israel and served our people before we even had a country. He worked tirelessly for Israel from the very first day of the state to the last day of his life. | He was one of the founding fathers of the state of Israel and served our people before we even had a country. He worked tirelessly for Israel from the very first day of the state to the last day of his life. |
| 5.10am BST | 5.10am BST |
| 05:10 | 05:10 |
| Shimon Peres’s son Chemi is speaking to media now... | Shimon Peres’s son Chemi is speaking to media now... |
| 5.09am BST | 5.09am BST |
| 05:09 | 05:09 |
| Peter Beaumont | Peter Beaumont |
| Sultan al Qassemi, the prolific Emirati commentator, and founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation, was among those who were less flattering in their assessment of Peres, referring to the 1996 Qana massacre when 106 people were killed by israeli shelling at a UN compound. | Sultan al Qassemi, the prolific Emirati commentator, and founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation, was among those who were less flattering in their assessment of Peres, referring to the 1996 Qana massacre when 106 people were killed by israeli shelling at a UN compound. |
| Shimon Peres was an example of how the world can forget someone's crimes if they only live long enough. https://t.co/ptNzk5Ejy0 | Shimon Peres was an example of how the world can forget someone's crimes if they only live long enough. https://t.co/ptNzk5Ejy0 |
| 5.05am BST | 5.05am BST |
| 05:05 | 05:05 |
| I will miss Shimon Peres, my brilliant and eloquent friend. His life was a blessing to all who strive for peace. https://t.co/7aIk3mt3Og pic.twitter.com/Iosr09jQq9 | I will miss Shimon Peres, my brilliant and eloquent friend. His life was a blessing to all who strive for peace. https://t.co/7aIk3mt3Og pic.twitter.com/Iosr09jQq9 |
| 5.05am BST | 5.05am BST |
| 05:05 | 05:05 |
| Peres in his own words | Peres in his own words |
| On the Oslo Accords: | On the Oslo Accords: |
| What we are doing today is more than signing an agreement: it is a revolution. Yesterday a dream, today a commitment. | What we are doing today is more than signing an agreement: it is a revolution. Yesterday a dream, today a commitment. |
| On the unsustainability of conflict with Israel’s neighbours: | On the unsustainability of conflict with Israel’s neighbours: |
| If you have children, you cannot feed them forever with flags for breakfast and cartridges for lunch. You need something more substantial. Unless you educate your children and spend less money on conflicts, unless you develop your science, technology and industry, you don’t have a future. | If you have children, you cannot feed them forever with flags for breakfast and cartridges for lunch. You need something more substantial. Unless you educate your children and spend less money on conflicts, unless you develop your science, technology and industry, you don’t have a future. |
| On his own public approval: | On his own public approval: |
| For 60 years, I was the most controversial figure in the country, and suddenly I’m the most popular man in the land. Truth be told, I don’t know when I was happier, then or now. | For 60 years, I was the most controversial figure in the country, and suddenly I’m the most popular man in the land. Truth be told, I don’t know when I was happier, then or now. |
| On a two-state solution: | On a two-state solution: |
| A firm basis already exists. A solution of two national states - a Jewish state, Israel; an Arab state, Palestine. The Palestinians are our closest neighbours. I believe they may become our closest friends. | A firm basis already exists. A solution of two national states - a Jewish state, Israel; an Arab state, Palestine. The Palestinians are our closest neighbours. I believe they may become our closest friends. |
| On peace: | On peace: |
| Peace with the Palestinians will open ports of peace all around the Mediterranean. The duty of leaders is to pursue freedom ceaselessly, even in the face of hostility, in the face of doubt and disappointment. Just imagine what could be. | Peace with the Palestinians will open ports of peace all around the Mediterranean. The duty of leaders is to pursue freedom ceaselessly, even in the face of hostility, in the face of doubt and disappointment. Just imagine what could be. |
| On peace... and breakfast: | On peace... and breakfast: |
| It is unfortunate, but as you know, you can make eggs into omelettes but you cannot make omelettes back into eggs. | It is unfortunate, but as you know, you can make eggs into omelettes but you cannot make omelettes back into eggs. |
| 4.53am BST | 4.53am BST |
| 04:53 | 04:53 |
| Reflections on the legacy of of Shimon Peres continue to flow from across the world, much of it praise, but Peres was a controversial figure throughout his lifetime. | Reflections on the legacy of of Shimon Peres continue to flow from across the world, much of it praise, but Peres was a controversial figure throughout his lifetime. |
| Bill and Hillary Clinton praised a “true and treasured friend” | Bill and Hillary Clinton praised a “true and treasured friend” |
| Bill and Hillary Clinton on the death of Shimon Peres: 'Hillary and I have lost a true and treasured friend' pic.twitter.com/gA8S3329xM | Bill and Hillary Clinton on the death of Shimon Peres: 'Hillary and I have lost a true and treasured friend' pic.twitter.com/gA8S3329xM |
| But in the Middle East Monitor, Ben White writes that Peres’s hawkish drive to build Israel’s nuclear weapons program, his support for illegal settlements in the West Bank, and advocacy for the blockade of Gaza have been glossed over or forgotten by many in the West, who regard him as a “tireless dove”. | But in the Middle East Monitor, Ben White writes that Peres’s hawkish drive to build Israel’s nuclear weapons program, his support for illegal settlements in the West Bank, and advocacy for the blockade of Gaza have been glossed over or forgotten by many in the West, who regard him as a “tireless dove”. |
| The Guardian’s obituary described Peres as a leader who “engendered controversy”, opining too, “there was something tragic about the man”. | The Guardian’s obituary described Peres as a leader who “engendered controversy”, opining too, “there was something tragic about the man”. |
| Peres was an intriguingly contradictory figure: a romantic in a cynical age, an Israeli icon with a Polish accent and francophone sensibility, who carried about him the taint (deserved or otherwise) of political chicanery. Unlike holiness, he told David Frost, politics is built on compromise. | Peres was an intriguingly contradictory figure: a romantic in a cynical age, an Israeli icon with a Polish accent and francophone sensibility, who carried about him the taint (deserved or otherwise) of political chicanery. Unlike holiness, he told David Frost, politics is built on compromise. |
| 4.30am BST | 4.30am BST |
| 04:30 | 04:30 |
| I am going to hand over to my colleague Ben Doherty now. He will continue to update as more reaction comes in from around the world. Peres’s family is due to speak to the media in about half an hour. | I am going to hand over to my colleague Ben Doherty now. He will continue to update as more reaction comes in from around the world. Peres’s family is due to speak to the media in about half an hour. |
| 4.25am BST | 4.25am BST |
| 04:25 | 04:25 |
| White House releases statement from Barack Obama | White House releases statement from Barack Obama |
| The statement said Peres was one of the “ few people who we share this world with who change the course of human history, not just through their role in human events, but because they expand our moral imagination and force us to expect more of ourselves. My friend Shimon was one of those people.” | The statement said Peres was one of the “ few people who we share this world with who change the course of human history, not just through their role in human events, but because they expand our moral imagination and force us to expect more of ourselves. My friend Shimon was one of those people.” |
| 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. As Americans, we are in his debt because, having worked with every U.S. president since John F. Kennedy, no one did more over so many years as Shimon Peres to build the alliance between our two countries—an unbreakable alliance that today is closer and stronger than it has ever been. | 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. As Americans, we are in his debt because, having worked with every U.S. president since John F. Kennedy, no one did more over so many years as Shimon Peres to build the alliance between our two countries—an unbreakable alliance that today is closer and stronger than it has ever been. |
| Here is the statement in full: | Here is the statement in full: |
| Here is President Obama's full statement on Shimon Peres: pic.twitter.com/RPfQV7ClRT | Here is President Obama's full statement on Shimon Peres: pic.twitter.com/RPfQV7ClRT |