Shimon Peres (1923-2016), a former Israeli president and an advocate for peace across the Middle East, passed away on Sept. 28 at the age of 93. As one of the last surviving pillars of Israel's founding generation, Peres played a key role in negotiating the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords, a set of peace agreements between Israel and Palestine.
Following the news of Peres' passing, a number of Korean media outlets have commemorated the former president, with headlines like "Peres, driving force of Oslo Peace Accords, dies at 93" (Joongang Daily) and "Israel's founding father, champion of peace" (Hankyoreh).
In an article published on Sept. 29 under the headline "Departure of Israel's last pacifist," the Kyunghyang daily, a newspaper, described Peres as "a giant of Israeli politics who stood as a central figure in his government for over half a century." The newspaper wrote that, "Peres was a respected politician in his native country, and internationally he achieved the Oslo Peace Accords, which set up the framework to resolve the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
The Hankook Ilbo, another daily, published an article titled "Shimon Peres, messenger of peace in Middle East, passes." The piece said, "The firm conviction of the former president, who believed that Palestine was Israel's closest neighbor and potential ally, defines the symbol of peace for the Middle East. "Transitioning between the moderate party and the hard-line faction, Peres devoted his life to maintaining peace for Israel and the Middle East. The entire world mourns as he is laid to rest."
The Kyunghyang newspaper publishes an article on Sept. 29 under the headline 'Departure of Israel's last pacifist,' and lauds the late president for negotiating the Oslo Peace Accords, which set up the framework to resolve the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Peres was born in 1923 to a Polish timber merchant family. When he was 11 years old, his family immigrated to the British mandate of Palestine and settled in Tel Aviv, a major city in Israel on the Mediterranean coast. At 18, he was elected as secretary to a Labor-Zionist youth movement, setting foot into the realm of politics. In 1947, at 24-years-old, he was conscripted by David Ben-Gurion, then Israeli prime minister, and a year later was appointed head of Israel's navy. In the 1950s, he studied advanced management at Harvard University and made a smooth transition back into Israeli politics upon his return home. Over the next 70 years, Peres held positions in 12 cabinets, serving twice as prime minister, three times as foreign minister and twice as the defense secretary.
In 1993, while he was serving as foreign minister, Peres negotiated the Oslo Peace Accords, perceived as his greatest achievement. The accords are a set of agreements between the government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to fulfill the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination. As a result, the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Shimon Peres, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Executive Committee of the PLO.
While Peres was president from 2007 to 2014, he founded the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa, Israel, to further his vision for people in the Middle East to work together to build peace through socio-economic cooperation. He also devoted his energy to building up the tech sector, by bridging the gap between young entrepreneurs and larger firms, and by incubating startups.
The Chosun Ilbo daily publishes an article on Sept. 29 titled 'Father of Israel who laid cornerstone for peace in Middle East,' and commemorates the lifetime achievements of former President Peres. The photo included in the article shows Peres (right) with Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Executive Committee of the PLO receiving the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for their contributions to negotiating peace between Israel and Palestine with the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords.
Peres' funeral services were held in Jerusalem on Sept. 30. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, U.S. President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, French President Francois Hollande, the Prince of Wales and other world leaders, along with a delegation of some 3,000 people, were in attendance as the former president was laid to rest.
Calling him a courageous champion of peace, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said, "Following the Oslo Peace Accord, Peres put enormous effort into achieving permanent peace in our region, up until his final breath."
"In many ways, he reminded me of some other giants of the 20th century that I've had the honor to meet, men like Nelson Mandela," said President Obama. "While a light has gone out, the hope he gave us will burn forever."
By Lee Hana Korea.net Staff Writer hlee10@korea.kr