Shimon Peres: Tributes in Full

"Shimon Peres once said that, 'I learned that public service is a privilege that must be based on moral foundations.' Tonight, Michelle and I join people across Israel, the United States and around the world in honoring the extraordinary life of our dear friend Shimon Peres—a Founding Father of the State of Israel and a statesman whose commitment to Israel's security and pursuit of peace was rooted in his own unshakeable moral foundation and unflagging optimism.

"I will always be grateful that I was able to call Shimon my friend. I first visited him in Jerusalem when I was a senator, and when I asked for his advice, he told me that while people often say that the future belongs to the young, it’s the present that really belongs to the young. 'Leave the future to me,' he said, 'I have time.' And he was right.

"Whether it was during our conversations in the Oval Office, walking together through Yad Vashem, or when I presented him with America’s highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom, Shimon always looked to the future. He was guided by a vision of the human dignity and progress that he knew people of goodwill could advance together. He brought young people from around the world together because he knew they could carry us closer to our ideals of justice and equality.

"Shimon was the essence of Israel itself—the courage of Israel’s fight for independence, the optimism he shared with his wife Sonya as they helped make the desert bloom, and the perseverance that led him to serve his nation in virtually every position in government across the entire life of the State of Israel. As Americans, we are in his debt because, having worked with every U.S. president since John F. Kennedy, no one did more over so many years as Shimon Peres to build the alliance between our two countries—an unbreakable alliance that today is closer and stronger than it has ever been.

"Perhaps because he had seen Israel surmount overwhelming odds, Shimon never gave up on the possibility of peace between Israelis, Palestinians and Israel’s neighbors—not even after the heartbreak of the night in Tel Aviv that took Yitzhak Rabin. 'Dear friends,' he told us during my visit to Israel three years ago, 'after everything I have seen in my life, I earned the right to believe that peace is attainable.' Tonight, I can think of no greater tribute to his life than to renew our commitment to the peace that we know is possible. Our thoughts are with his children Zvia, Yoni and Chemi, their families and all who loved and admired Shimon Peres, of blessed memory.

"A light has gone out, but the hope he gave us will burn forever. Shimon Peres was a soldier for Israel, for the Jewish people, for justice, for peace, and for the belief that we can be true to our best selves - to the very end of our time on Earth, and in the legacy that we leave to others. For the gift of his friendship and the example of his leadership, todah rabah, Shimon." ‎

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

“With all the citizens of Israel, with the Jewish people and much of the world, I bow my head in memory of our beloved, the dear one of the nation, the late Shimon Peres.

"Shimon dedicated his life to our Independence. As a visionary, he looked to the future. As a protector, fortifying the power of Israel in many ways, even today some still unknown. As a man of peace, working in his latter days for reconciliation with our neighbours and a better future for our children.

"During the seven years in which he served as president, he did much to unite the people. And the people responded with great love. There are not many people in our history who have contributed so much to the State of Israel and the people of Israel.

"I would like to add something from a personal viewpoint. I first met Shimon 40 years ago on the brink of the grave of my brother Yoni. I will never forget his warm attitude towards me, my brother Iddo, and our parents of blessed memory, moments of our grief.

"Just a few days ago, on the UN podium, I wished him a speedy recovery on behalf of the entire nation. We all prayed, and much of the world with us, that Shimon, with his unique strength and with his special energy, would somehow pull through and manage to return to us. To our deep sorrow, this prayer was not answered.

"Now Shimon, the dear one of the nation, has departed from us. But he has not departed, he will never depart, from our hearts and our memory. Shimon Peres's name will be immortalized in the book of revival of the Jewish people, as one of the greatest leaders Israel had, and one of the founding fathers who established the State of Israel.

"May his memory be ingrained in the heart of the nation.”

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis

"There will be countless tributes to Shimon Peres over the coming days, but I fear that few, if any, will adequately capture the palpable sense of collective grief felt across the world, nor do justice to the memory of a true giant amongst men.

"It is true that Shimon Peres was a great statesman. He was the noblest of soldiers, a born leader, a uniquely talented diplomat, an inspiring speaker and a relentless campaigner.

"But, more significantly than any of those things, Shimon Peres was the greatest living example of an unshakable belief in the pursuit of peace against all odds.

"However dark the day and however distant the dawn seemed, his unflinching optimism gave hope to millions of people, not just in Israel but across the world, that if we could just cling onto that dream of peace for a little while longer, we would eventually celebrate its realisation.

"Tragically, thus far, we have not succeeded. But from Shimon Peres we learned that we must never let go of that audacious commitment to peace, even when all around us are ready to do so.

When he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 he said: '...while one is obliged to plan with care the stages of one's journey, one is entitled to dream, and keep dreaming, of its destination.'

"Today, Shimon Peres’s journey through this world has finally come to its end and he has arrived at his destination. As for those of us whom he inspired during his remarkable lifetime, we say:

'No matter what the future holds, your legacy lives on in the Jewish people who will never rest until we achieve our eternal dream of peace among the peoples of the world'."