- Title: Israeli public pay respects at Peres's coffin
- Date: 29th September 2016
- Summary: BLACK FRAMED PHOTO OF PERES
- Embargoed: 14th October 2016 08:41
- Keywords: Israel Shimon Peres coffin Knesset
- Location: JERUSALEM
- City: JERUSALEM
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00251MAFRB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Thousands of visitors paid their respects at the coffin of one of Israel's founding fathers, Shimon Peres, on Thursday (September 29) outside the Knesset in Jerusalem.
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, died on Wednesday (September 28) at 93 after suffering a stroke.
"We've come here to show our respects to the past president Shimon Peres. It's a great honour that he he's helped build this country, unbelievable legacy. And I'm just sorry that he had to pass," said Nate Nanus from the United States, who arrived at the Knesset with his family.
Michael Leon and Alexa Neville also came to the heavily secured compound to honour the late former President.
"We came to pay our respects to a wonderful man who we though would carry on forever. We supported his vision. He was a man with a great dream to bring peace to this region, the new Middle East. Sadly, we have not reached that goal yet but we still carry on with his aims," Michael Leon said.
"Shimon Peres for me was a man of both practicality and ideals. And we hope to continue his pursuit for peace even after he's gone. But the world will be a poorer place without him, and for sure in Israel we don't have many leaders like him to look up to," said Alexa Neville.
Another visitor, Tina Lindenberg, shared her feelings.
"I came to give honour and respect to Shimon Peres who was very respectable and very important and a man that we followed for many years. Now that he's gone I would like to part, with giving respect, you know I did it in the past with (late Israeli leader Yitzhak) Rabin and I think that's what we do."
A convinced campaigner for Middle East peace who remained energetic until the final days of his seven decades in public life, the center-left elder statesman was mourned by world leaders and praised for his tireless engagement.
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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