The State of Israel has been thrown into deep mourning over the death of Mr. Shimon Peres; it's immediate past President in the early hours of Wednesday in a Tel Aviv hospital. He was aged 93.
Shimon Peres, one of the last surviving founders of the State of Israel embodies the essence of the State – the boldness in seeking independence, the innovation in forming a modern economy and the relentless hope that led him in his pursuit of peace in the region.
For more than half a century in the Israeli public service, Mr. Peres was a different times, twice as prime minister, minister of defense, foreign affairs, finance and transportation, until 2014 when he retired at the end of his seven-year term as President. The 1994 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, "for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East".
Israel's President, Mr. Reuven Rivlin said that there was no chapter in the history of the State of Israel in which Peres did not write or play a part.
He said: “This is a sad day for the Israeli people, and the State of Israel. We all bow our heads at hearing of his passing. I will carry his memory with me, his handshake, and his sensible advice which he always gave lovingly and in particular his spirit of hope which he breathed into this people; the spirit of hope and peace which was his path and desire”.