Stories Related to World Leaders Remember Shimon Peres For His Spirit And Vision

JERUSALEM – Shimon Peres was laid to rest Friday by dozens of world leaders who praised Israel’s former president and prime minister for pursuing peace with an indefatigable spirit and optimism, even though his vision of a “new Middle East” was never fulfilled. At a high-powered funeral befitting the globe-trotting Peres, speakers including President Barack Obama recalled a seven-decade political career that personified the history of Israel by building its military while also pushing it toward peace. “He knew better than the cynic that if you look out over the arc of history, human beings should be filled not with fear but with hope,” Obama told the mourners, made up of delegations from 70 countries – an assembly of dignitaries unlikely to be seen in Israel again. “We gather here today with the knowledge that Shimon never saw his dream of peace fulfilled,” he added.