- Title: Convoy accompanying Shimon Peres's coffin arrives in Jerusalem.
- Date: 29th September 2016
- Summary: COFFIN, DRAPED IN ISRAELI FLAG BEING LOADED ONTO TRUCK ISRAELI MILITARY VAN LEAVING ARMY BASE
- Embargoed: 14th October 2016 05:45
- Keywords: Israel Peres Body Coffin Convoy
- Location: TZRIFIN ARMY BASE, TEL AVIV-JERUSALEM HIGHWAY, ISRAEL/JERUSALEM
- City: TZRIFIN ARMY BASE, TEL AVIV-JERUSALEM HIGHWAY, ISRAEL/JERUSALEM
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00251MADDZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Preparations were underway on Thursday (September 29) for the funeral of Shimon Peres, one of Israel's last surviving founding fathers who developed its powerful armed forces and nuclear capabilities before seeking peace with the Palestinians and sharing a Nobel prize, who died on Wednesday (September 28) at 93 after suffering a stroke.
Peres's coffin was accompanied by a security convoy from Tzrifin army base to Jerusalem to lie in state at parliament to allow the public to pay their respects ahead of the funeral scheduled for Friday (September 30).
A convinced campaigner for Middle East peace who remained energetic until the final days of his seven decades in public life, the centre-left elder statesman was mourned by world leaders and praised for his tireless engagement.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry published a long list of dignitaries it expected to attend the funeral, including Britain's Prince Charles and former U.S. president Bill Clinton. French President Francois Hollande confirmed he would be present, alongside his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy.
The announcement of Peres's death was made at Tel Hashomer hospital by his son, Chemi, and son-in-law, Rafi Walden.
The Polish-born Peres, whose family moved in the 1930s to then British-ruled Palestine, was part of almost every major political development in Israel from its founding in 1948.
Peres served in a dozen cabinets and was twice prime minister, though he never won a general election, struggling to connect with ordinary voters.
He was first elected to parliament in 1959 and, barring a brief interlude in early 2006, held his seat for 48 years, before becoming president in 2007.
In every role Peres undertook - from forging Israel's defence strategy in the 1950s to running his eponymous peace foundation - he was known for his energy and enthusiasm, even recording jokey YouTube videos into his 90s.
He shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize with the late former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for reaching an interim peace deal in 1993, the Oslo Accords, which however never turned into a lasting treaty. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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