Shimon Peres Passes Away at 93 Years Old
Shimon Peres, an Israeli who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in brokering peace deals between Israel and Palestinians, died on Wednesday, September 28 at age 93. He had suffered a stroke just two weeks before, and ultimately succumbed to his condition.
Peres had a tremendous influence on the nation of Israel and became a face of the nation for many decades of his life. He served in such roles as Prime Minister and President and a wide variety of cabinet positions, but perhaps left his most indelible mark on the world in his humanitarian work.
Peres became Prime Minister after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, and immediately faced the challenge of protecting Israel from a wave of Palestinian suicide attacks. Despite the constant threat of Palestinian terror, Peres remained focused on reaching peace agreements in the Middle East. In 2007 he visited the Turkish parliament, becoming the very first Israeli President to speak to the legislature of a Muslim country. In 2011 he was vocal in his desire for peace with the Palestinians, and indicated the United Nations should not recognize Palestine as an independent state if a peace plan could not be formed. In 2012, he was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.
After his retirement in 2014 he continued to work for peace in the Middle East, even up to his death.
An example to follow
Many news outlets have indicated that Peres was never fully embraced by the Israeli people. But his constant efforts to work for peace make him an example for all to follow.
It can be extremely hard to stay focused on achieving peace when there is so much violence caused by terrorist organizations such as Hamas and so much unrest in the region. But that is what Peres did, and what we strive for at Curt Landry Ministries.
Please join us as we continue to pray for the nation of Israel as they mourn the loss of Mr. Shimon Peres. Pray for the love of God to wash over Israel and the Middle East so that the region can someday find the peace it so desperately needs.