Shimon Peres RIP

It is not given to any great political figure to do anything significant and not be controversial, and former Israeli PM Shimon Peres, who has died, was certainly controversial.

But there is no doubt in my mind that he worked for Peace while tryijng to protect the interests of his people, and the Nobel Peace Prize that he shared with Yassir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin was deserved.

There are not many people whose death would be mourned by both the President of the Palestinian Authority and the present PM of Israel, in the terms they used, but this is what they had to say about him:

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sent a letter of condolence to Mr Peres' family "expressing his sorrow and sadness".

"Peres was a partner in creating the peace of the brave with the late President Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Rabin, and has made intensive efforts to reach a long-lasting peace since the Oslo agreement and until the last breath," he said in a statement.

Israel's current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his "deep sorrow" over Mr Peres' death in a video statement.

"As a man of peace, he worked until his final days toward reconciling with our neighbours for a better future for our children.''

Rest in Peace.

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