“Shimon Peres embodied, above all, our collective vision for peace, reconciliation and a prosperous future. In his five decades of public service, he showed us all – friends and enemies, alike – what was possible if we looked beyond our interesting differences and found inspiration in each other. I will always recall the joy in him as the first steps for peace in Israeli-Palestinian relations were taken in 1998. In his joy, we could imagine a future of shared growth, shared empowerment and reconciliation instead of conflict and anger.
The people of Israel and the world have lost a visionary leader, a great statesman and a relentless advocate for peace. Shimon Peres devoted his life to ensuring that our children and grandchildren would know a better, safer world, and I will miss him. "
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