Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has paid tribute to Israel’s former president and prime minister Shimon Peres, who has died aged 93.
Jonathan said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Shimon Peres. One of Israel’s founding generation, Peres was a towering statesman and a humanitarian, who served Israel from the time it was a fledgling nation struggling for survival until his retirement as President in 2014. He will be particularly remembered for his Nobel Prize-winning efforts towards peace with the Palestinians and as a negotiator and through the Peres Centre for Peace. While he will be sorely missed, we hope that his example will inspire a new generation of peacemakers to bring reconciliation to the Middle East and to the wider world.