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| World leaders to attend funeral for Israel's Shimon Peres | World leaders to attend funeral for Israel's Shimon Peres |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| A long list of world leaders will attend the funeral of former Israeli prime minister and president Shimon Peres, who died on Wednesday at 93. | A long list of world leaders will attend the funeral of former Israeli prime minister and president Shimon Peres, who died on Wednesday at 93. |
| Some of the world's most powerful figures will be at the service in Jerusalem on Friday, including US President Barack Obama. | Some of the world's most powerful figures will be at the service in Jerusalem on Friday, including US President Barack Obama. |
| Mr Peres's condition had deteriorated after suffering a stroke two weeks ago. | Mr Peres's condition had deteriorated after suffering a stroke two weeks ago. |
| He was one of the last of a generation of Israeli politicians present at the nation's birth in 1948. | He was one of the last of a generation of Israeli politicians present at the nation's birth in 1948. |
| Mr Peres won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role negotiating the Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians a year earlier, a prize he shared with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. | Mr Peres won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role negotiating the Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians a year earlier, a prize he shared with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. |
| The agreement was witnessed by former US President Bill Clinton and signed at the White House. On Wednesday Mr Clinton said on Twitter: "I will miss Shimon Peres, my brilliant and eloquent friend. His life was a blessing to all who strive for peace..." | |
| Other world leaders set to attend the funeral on Friday include UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. | Other world leaders set to attend the funeral on Friday include UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. |
| Mr Peres will receive a state burial at a ceremony on Friday at Mount Herzel Cemetery in Jerusalem. | Mr Peres will receive a state burial at a ceremony on Friday at Mount Herzel Cemetery in Jerusalem. |
| Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sent a letter of condolence to Mr Peres' family "expressing his sorrow and sadness". | Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sent a letter of condolence to Mr Peres' family "expressing his sorrow and sadness". |
| "Peres was a partner in creating the peace of the brave with the late President Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Rabin, and has made intensive efforts to reach a long-lasting peace since the Oslo agreement and until the last breath," he said in a statement. | "Peres was a partner in creating the peace of the brave with the late President Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Rabin, and has made intensive efforts to reach a long-lasting peace since the Oslo agreement and until the last breath," he said in a statement. |
| It is not clear if Mr Abbas will attend the funeral. | It is not clear if Mr Abbas will attend the funeral. |
| However, some Palestinians and others across the Middle East were not mourning his passing. Abdul Rahman Daireyeh, a resident in Ramallah, told the BBC: | However, some Palestinians and others across the Middle East were not mourning his passing. Abdul Rahman Daireyeh, a resident in Ramallah, told the BBC: |
| "He [Peres] is a war criminal who has killed hundreds of Palestinians. He was never a man of peace. Towards the end of his life, he appeared as a man of peace but he was never that person, as he killed hundreds." | "He [Peres] is a war criminal who has killed hundreds of Palestinians. He was never a man of peace. Towards the end of his life, he appeared as a man of peace but he was never that person, as he killed hundreds." |
| The militant Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, said that Mr Peres's death was the "end of the history of occupation". | The militant Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, said that Mr Peres's death was the "end of the history of occupation". |
| Mr Peres once said the Palestinians were Israel's "closest neighbours" and might become its "closest friends". | Mr Peres once said the Palestinians were Israel's "closest neighbours" and might become its "closest friends". |
| His son, Chemi, said of his father: "He served our people before we even had a country of our own. He worked tirelessly for Israel from the very first day of the state to the last day of his life." | His son, Chemi, said of his father: "He served our people before we even had a country of our own. He worked tirelessly for Israel from the very first day of the state to the last day of his life." |
| Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his "deep sorrow" over Mr Peres' death in a video statement. | Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his "deep sorrow" over Mr Peres' death in a video statement. |
| "As a man of peace, he worked until his final days toward reconciling with our neighbours for a better future for our children.'' | "As a man of peace, he worked until his final days toward reconciling with our neighbours for a better future for our children.'' |
| Once an advocate of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, Mr Peres later became a leading political dove. He often spoke of the need for compromise over territorial demands in Palestinian areas. | Once an advocate of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, Mr Peres later became a leading political dove. He often spoke of the need for compromise over territorial demands in Palestinian areas. |
| Who was Shimon Peres? | Who was Shimon Peres? |