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Shimon Peres Funeral Brings Together Allies and Rivals in Mourning Shimon Peres Funeral Brings Together Allies and Rivals in Mourning
(about 5 hours later)
JERUSALEM — From across the ocean and across the Green Line, they came on Friday to the mountaintop sanctuary of Mount Herzl to bid farewell to Shimon Peres, who did as much as anyone to build modern Israel and then became its leading advocate of peace. JERUSALEM — From across the ocean and across the Green Line, they came on Friday to the mountaintop sanctuary of Mount Herzl to bid farewell to Shimon Peres, marking what one called the “end of the era of giants.” But the question of the moment was whether it was a funeral for a man or for his dream.
President Obama headlined a cast of prominent eulogists who praised Mr. Peres for his commitment to coexistence with the Palestinians and, in some cases, called for a renewed dedication to realizing that dream. Twenty-three years after Mr. Peres helped negotiate the Oslo Accords heralding peace between Israelis and Palestinians, President Obama and other leaders from around the world paid homage to his tenacious search for reconciliation. And yet the memorial service made clear how elusive that idea has actually become in this part of the world.
“The last of the founding generation is now gone,” said Mr. Obama, wearing a skullcap and standing next to Mr. Peres’s coffin. He added that the work was “in the hands of Israel’s next generation and its friends.” The funeral brought together Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, something no mediator has been able to do in recent years, and the two men shook hands and exchanged brief pleasantries. But the encounter went no further and the momentary pause in their war of words seemed unlikely to last beyond the interment.
One part state funeral, one part peace conference, the service seemed a moment of transition for a country that has drifted away from Mr. Peres’s vision. In his eulogy, Mr. Netanyahu welcomed by name many of the foreign figures in attendance without mentioning Mr. Abbas. It was left to Mr. Obama to acknowledge the Palestinian leader, saying that his “presence here is a gesture and a reminder of the unfinished business of peace.”
The funeral at Mount Herzl, the national cemetery, brought together Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, something no mediator has been able to do in recent years. For his part, Mr. Abbas, in a move perceived by some analysts as a jab at Mr. Netanyahu’s government, brought along an adviser, Muhammad al-Madani, who was banned by Israel last summer for “subversive” activities. No Arab ruler, president or prime minister came, although Egypt sent its foreign minister and others sent lower-ranking officials.
Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Abbas, who have not formally met in six years, shook hands here, as they did last year when they spoke on the sidelines of a climate conference in Paris. But the momentary pause in their war of words seemed unlikely to last beyond the interment. Amos Oz, the famed Israeli author and friend of Mr. Peres’s, gave voice in his eulogy to what others were thinking, wondering about the fate of peace in a new era. With Israelis and Palestinians sharing a small piece of the world, he said, the only solution is the creation of a Palestinian state that Mr. Peres supported.
As he began his own eulogy, Mr. Netanyahu greeted by name many of the foreign leaders before him but made no mention of Mr. Abbas. While he grew emotional in praising Mr. Peres, he also acknowledged the fierce debates they had about the best way to secure Israel.
“Peace will not be achieved other than by permanently preserving our power,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “But power is not an end in itself. It is not the real power. It’s a means to an end. The goal is to ensure our national existence and coexistence.”
The gathering resembled those of other world figures who transcended international boundaries, like Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II, drawing leaders and diplomats from around the world.
Joining Mr. Obama from the United States was former President Bill Clinton, who hosted Mr. Peres in 1993 for the signing of the Oslo Accords, which were supposed to inaugurate an era of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Also on hand were President François Hollande of France, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico, Prince Charles and former Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, and King Felipe VI of Spain. Among others attending were the leaders of Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden.
Despite Mr. Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations last week hailing what he called his country’s improving relations with Arab neighbors, none sent a head of state, not even Egypt and Jordan, the two with peace treaties with Israel. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry came from Egypt, however, and Bahrain, Jordan and Oman were to send representatives.
Mr. Abbas’s decision to come to a cemetery named for the founder of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, angered many Palestinians, who criticized him for honoring an enemy. It was a delicate issue on the other side, as well, as Israeli officials debated overnight whether to seat him in the front row. Ultimately they did, but he had no speaking role.
“It’s been a long time since we last met,” Mr. Abbas was overheard by Israeli reporters telling Mr. Netanyahu when they shook hands on Friday.
“I very much appreciate that you came to the funeral,” Mr. Netanyahu replied.
One of the eulogists seemed to use the occasion to press the two leaders to put aside their differences and follow the model of Mr. Peres. Amos Oz, an Israeli author and friend of Mr. Peres’s, said that there was “no choice but to divide this home into two apartments and turn it into a two-family house,” referring to the creation of a Palestinian state.
“In their heart of hearts, all sides know this simple truth,” Mr. Oz said as Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Abbas listened. “But where are the leaders with the courage to come forward to make it come to pass? Where are the heirs to Shimon Peres?”“In their heart of hearts, all sides know this simple truth,” Mr. Oz said as Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Abbas listened. “But where are the leaders with the courage to come forward to make it come to pass? Where are the heirs to Shimon Peres?”
Mr. Peres, who died this week at 93, about two weeks after a severe stroke, embodied the development of the Israeli state. Mr. Obama, who has been pressing the two sides to rejuvenate a peace process, made a similar point less directly. “Shimon never saw his dream of peace fulfilled,” he said. And so, he added, “Now this work is in the hands of Israel’s next generation, in the hands of Israel’s next generation and its friends.”
A protégé of David Ben-Gurion, the founding prime minister, Mr. Peres had a role in most of Israel’s major moments from its independence in 1948. He served as prime minister, foreign minister, defense minister and, until two years ago, president. The funeral drew delegations from 75 countries, including former President Bill Clinton, President François Hollande of France, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico, Prince Charles and former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron of Britain, and King Felipe VI of Spain.
A longtime security hawk, he helped build the nation’s military and was instrumental in the development of its nuclear program. Critics, especially Palestinians, castigate him even now for promoting the construction of settlements in the territories seized in the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and for launching the military operations that led to civilian deaths. About 4,000 mourners gathered underneath a tent on a warm, cloudless day at the national cemetery overlooking Jerusalem. Security was tight as 8,000 police officers flooded Jerusalem and closed streets.
But he was remembered on Friday mainly for his pursuit of peace, as the foreign minister who negotiated and signed the Oslo agreement setting out a framework for resolving the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Mr. Peres, who died this week at 93, embodied the history of the Israeli state. A protégé of David Ben-Gurion, the founding prime minister, he had a role in most of Israel’s major moments from its independence in 1948. He served as prime minister twice, foreign minister, defense minister and, until two years ago, president.
He shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization. A longtime security hawk, he helped build the nation’s military and was instrumental in developing its nuclear program. Critics, especially Palestinians, castigate him for promoting the construction of settlements in territories seized in the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and for launching the military operations that led to civilian deaths.
The accord included formal recognition between Israel and the P.L.O. and established the Palestinian Authority as a provisional government, with the expectation that the two sides would resolve further points of contention over the next five years. He was remembered on Friday mainly for his pursuit of peace that resulted in the Nobel Peace Prize he shared in 1994 with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
But the process ultimately stalled, and while Oslo still governs the tense relationship between the two as Israel continues to occupy the West Bank, many view the agreement as a failure. Mr. Obama tried twice to restart talks, in vain, and is contemplating laying out his own proposed parameters for peace before leaving office in January. But the peace process ultimately stalled. Israel continues to occupy the West Bank, build new settlement homes in territory claimed by Palestinians and restrict travel and trade in Gaza, while Palestinians have mounted a series of knifing and vehicular attacks over the past year and in some cases pledge themselves to Israel’s destruction.
About 4,000 people were expected to gather under a giant tent on a cloudless morning here at Mount Herzl overlooking Jerusalem. Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Abbas both say they are willing to negotiate, and each blames the other for resisting. Mr. Obama tried twice to restart talks, in vain, and is contemplating laying out his own proposed parameters for peace before leaving office in January.
Photographs of Mr. Peres over the course of his long life were displayed on jumbo screens. Security was tight as 8,000 police officers flooded Jerusalem and closed streets. Mr. Obama, who flew overnight to attend the funeral and finished writing his eulogy only as Air Force One landed, offered an especially personal tribute to Mr. Peres. This was only the second time in nearly eight years in office that he had traveled overseas for the funeral of a foreign leader, after Nelson Mandela, and indeed, he compared Mr. Peres to the South African leader.
David D’Or, a famous Israeli countertenor, sang “Avinu Malkeinu,” a Jewish prayer traditionally recited at the time of the Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, which are about to start. The president tried to explain the unlikely friendship that developed between an African-American from Hawaii and a child of the shtetl who grew up to lead Israel. “We shared a love of words and books and history and perhaps like most politicians we shared too great a joy in hearing ourselves talk,” Mr. Obama said. “But beyond that, I think our friendship was rooted in the fact that I could somehow see myself in his story and maybe he could see himself in mine.”
Mr. Peres’s children and grandchildren cried and hugged before and during the service. His children — Tsvia Walden, Yoni Peres and Chemi Peres — shared memories of a man of dignity who insisted on dressing properly and who cut sandwiches creatively to get reluctant children to eat. Mr. Peres’s wife, Sonya, died in 2011. Echoing Mr. Clinton, who in 1995 memorably bid farewell to the assassinated Mr. Rabin by saying, “shalom, chaver” (“farewell, friend”), Mr. Obama ended his for eulogy for Mr. Peres by saying, “todah rabah, chaver yakar” (“thank you, dear friend”).
After the service, the body was to be interred and 14 wreaths were to be laid. For a man who made a legacy of bridging divides, there will be one final act of reconciliation: Mr. Peres will be buried between two onetime rivals, Mr. Rabin and another former prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir. Mr. Netanyahu was emotional too, choking up as he recalled the death of his brother Yoni, a commando killed in a hostage rescue mission in Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976, and the “deeply stirring” eulogy that Mr. Peres, then the defense minister, delivered.
While he ousted Mr. Peres as prime minister in a 1996 election, Mr. Netanyahu said they later become close friends and he spoke lovingly of their fierce arguments over the best way to pursue peace for Israel.
“We went back and forth for hours, flinging arguments at one another,” he said. “He came from the left, I came from the right. I came from the right, and he came back from the left. And in the end, like two worn-out prizefighters, we put down our gloves. I saw in his eyes, and I think he saw in mind, that our principles stemmed from deep-seeded beliefs and a commitment to the cause — ensuring Israel’s future.”
It is Mr. Netanyahu’s theory of the case, that peace will come only through security not concessions, that has resonance in today’s Israel. Indeed, the failure of the Oslo agreement to lead to an enduring peace has soured many here on it. Almost none of the eulogies on Friday used the word Oslo. Even the biography of Mr. Peres read to the crowd at the beginning of the funeral omitted the name most associated with his long career.
The idea of a negotiated resolution seems so out of reach that one eulogist after another used the word “naïve” to describe the impression Mr. Peres left, although many of them argued that it was a misunderstanding of his idealism.
The obstacles to progress were evident on Friday. Mr. Abbas’s decision to come to a cemetery named for the founder of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, angered many Palestinians, who criticized him for honoring an enemy. It was a delicate issue on the other side too, as Israeli officials debated overnight whether to seat him in the front row. Ultimately they did, but he had no speaking role.
Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Abbas, who have not formally met in six years, shook hands before the service, as they did last year on the sidelines of a climate conference in Paris.
“Long time,” Mr. Abbas said as he greeted Mr. Netanyahu and his wife, Sara. “Long time.”
“Thank you for coming,” Mr. Netanyahu responded. “I appreciate it.”
During the ceremony that followed, David D’Or, a famous Israeli countertenor, sang “Avinu Malkeinu,” a Jewish prayer recited at the time of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Mr. Peres’s children cried and shared memories of a man of dignity who insisted on dressing properly and who cut sandwiches creatively to cajole reluctant children into eating. Mr. Peres’s wife, Sonya, died in 2011.
After the service, the body was interred and 14 wreaths were laid. For a man who made a legacy of bridging divides, there was one final act of reconciliation: Mr. Peres was buried between two onetime rivals, Mr. Rabin and another former prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir.