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| World Leaders Issue Emotional Tributes to Shimon Peres | World Leaders Issue Emotional Tributes to Shimon Peres |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| JERUSALEM — The death of Shimon Peres prompted an outpouring of emotional tributes from around the world even as Israel woke up Wednesday morning to discover that a figure integral to the history of the state was gone. | |
| President Obama, who awarded Mr. Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, issued an unusually long and personal statement, recalling their conversations in detail and calling him “the essence of Israel itself.” Mr. Obama remembered first meeting Mr. Peres as a senator and said his death should renew a commitment to peace. | President Obama, who awarded Mr. Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, issued an unusually long and personal statement, recalling their conversations in detail and calling him “the essence of Israel itself.” Mr. Obama remembered first meeting Mr. Peres as a senator and said his death should renew a commitment to peace. |
| “A light has gone out, but the hope he gave us will burn forever,” Mr. Obama said. “Shimon Peres was a soldier for Israel, for the Jewish people, for justice, for peace and for the belief that we can be true to our best selves — to the very end of our time on Earth and in the legacy that we leave to others.” | “A light has gone out, but the hope he gave us will burn forever,” Mr. Obama said. “Shimon Peres was a soldier for Israel, for the Jewish people, for justice, for peace and for the belief that we can be true to our best selves — to the very end of our time on Earth and in the legacy that we leave to others.” |
| A spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Emmanuel Nahshon, said that Mr. Obama, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, would attend Mr. Peres’s funeral on Friday. | |
| The elder President George Bush, who worked with Mr. Peres during his administration, praised an “innate humanity” that inspired many around the world. “By his unyielding determination and principle, Shimon Peres time and again helped guide his beloved country through the crucible of mortal challenge,” Mr. Bush said in a statement. | |
| A former political opponent, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a broadcast statement, “Along with all the citizens of Israel, the entire Jewish people and many others around the world, I bow my head in memory of our beloved Shimon Peres, who was treasured by the nation.” | |
| Mr. Netanyahu added: “As a man of vision, he lifted his gaze to the future. As a man of security and defense, he buttressed Israel’s might in many ways, some of which, even now, cannot be told. As a man of peace, he worked up until his last days for reconciliation with our neighbors for a better future for our children.” | |
| Many others joined in the praise for Mr. Peres. The American Jewish Committee called him “one of the great visionary leaders of the Jewish people.” The Simon Wiesenthal Center said that “no Israeli leader was more respected.” The Anti-Defamation League praised “his clarion voice, statesmanship and wisdom.” Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York on Twitter called Mr. Peres “a tireless advocate for Israel and a visionary crusader for peace.” | |
| Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who still works on Middle East issues, described Mr. Peres as “someone I loved deeply” and a mentor. “His intellect, his way with words that was eloquent beyond description, his command of the world and how it was changing were extraordinary,” Mr. Blair said. | Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who still works on Middle East issues, described Mr. Peres as “someone I loved deeply” and a mentor. “His intellect, his way with words that was eloquent beyond description, his command of the world and how it was changing were extraordinary,” Mr. Blair said. |
| But Mr. Peres was a more complicated figure among Palestinians, who remembered his role in advancing settlements in the West Bank and ordering a brief but intense military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1996 that led to civilian deaths. “Peres was an unrepentant war criminal and should be memorialized as such,” said Diana Buttu, a former adviser to the Palestinian leadership. | But Mr. Peres was a more complicated figure among Palestinians, who remembered his role in advancing settlements in the West Bank and ordering a brief but intense military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1996 that led to civilian deaths. “Peres was an unrepentant war criminal and should be memorialized as such,” said Diana Buttu, a former adviser to the Palestinian leadership. |
| Just over two weeks ago, when Mr. Peres had the stroke that would ultimately kill him, an Arab member of the Israeli Parliament, Basel Ghattas, provoked a virulent debate when he said the former prime minister was a tyrant responsible for atrocities. “He is completely covered with our blood,” Mr. Ghattas said. | |
| That touched off a backlash from other lawmakers, who denounced Mr. Ghattas as a self-promoter preaching hate. | That touched off a backlash from other lawmakers, who denounced Mr. Ghattas as a self-promoter preaching hate. |
| While Mr. Peres was controversial during much of his long career, he came to enjoy support and admiration across the Israeli political spectrum by his final years. | While Mr. Peres was controversial during much of his long career, he came to enjoy support and admiration across the Israeli political spectrum by his final years. |
| Dr. Rafi Walden, Mr. Peres’s personal physician and son-in-law, said that on the day of his stroke, Mr. Peres had delivered a speech of more than an hour to an audience of industry and technology leaders, “as usual, without notes.” | Dr. Rafi Walden, Mr. Peres’s personal physician and son-in-law, said that on the day of his stroke, Mr. Peres had delivered a speech of more than an hour to an audience of industry and technology leaders, “as usual, without notes.” |
| Mr. Netanyahu visited Mr. Peres in the hospital during the last two weeks, as did the opposition leader Isaac Herzog. Mr. Clinton called the hospital for updates. Pope Francis prayed for his recovery, and Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, sent a personal note of praise. | |
| Israeli news media reported that Mr. Peres’s body would lie in state at the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, on Thursday. |