Obama to attend Shimon Peres funeral in Jerusalem

September 29, 2016 08:04

US President Barack Obama will join other world leaders in attending the funeral of Israeli ex-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, the White House has said.

The president "will lead the US delegation to Jerusalem to participate in the funeral," the White House said.

Obama led tributes to the elder statesman as a friend who refused to give up on the dream of peace.

Peres' commitment to Israel's security and pursuit of peace was "rooted in his own unshakable moral foundation and unflagging optimism" the US leader said in a statement.

Obama is to join world leaders including former US president Bill Clinton, French President Francois Hollande and German President Joachim Gauck and Britain's Prince Charles in attending Peres's Friday funeral at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl, where many Israeli dignitaries are buried.

Peres, who was 93, held nearly every major office in the country, serving twice as prime minister and also as president, a mostly ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

SC dismisses pleas to review Article 370 revocation verdict in Dec 2023

A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud considered the pleas in chambers and dismissed applications for listing of the review petition in open Court.

Briton dead, many hurt as turbulence hits SIA flight; 3 Indians among flyers

The airline confirmed that there were injuries onboard, and stated that all "possible assistance" will be provided to the passengers on the aircraft.

Pune accident: Registration of Porsche car that mowed down 2 yet to be done

Maharashtra transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar told PTI that the Porsche car was imported in March by a dealer in Bengaluru and from there it was sent to Maharashtra on a temporary registration.

Phase 5 voter turnout at 62.19%; nears 2019 polling percentage

The fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections has so far registered a voter turnout of approximately 62.19 percent, 1.97 percentage points less than 2019.

Qualifier 1: How Starc ripped into in-form SRH batting

Pacer Mitchell Starc was adjudged player of the match for his sensational bowling up front when he claimed the scalps of Travis Head, Nitish Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed in the powerplay.