Board of Deputies President pays tribute to Shimon Peres

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.