​(Communicated by the Office of the President)

The President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, delivered a special message in honor of Ramadan to the Muslim world. In the message President Peres said:

"Dear friends, Ramadan Kareem is not only a holiday for you but a celebration for all of us, after all we are coming from the same family, the family of Abraham and after all you, us, the Christians, all of us pray to the Lord to end the bloodshed, to let the children be safe in their homes, to make it unnecessary for the mothers to cry. We can do it, it depends upon us. We have to come together, we have to do whatever we can as human beings, as believers to do it immediately.

The Ramadan is an occasion to fast, to think, to wish, to hope and all of us should do those things, to pray to the Lord and to call upon ourselves to make peace for all. People may be and should be different but not when it comes to life, not when it comes to peace, not when it comes to happiness and not when it comes to food. It is a call from heaven and a necessity for all of us. Kul Am wa enta bi-khair."