Prince Charles, Obama and Boris join 70 world leaders for state funeral of former Israeli PM Shimon Peres in Jerusalem as terror attack fears spark massive security operation
THE funeral service for ex-Israeli president Shimon Peres is underway in Jerusalem, attended by leaders and heads of state from around the world.
Some 6,000 people are attending the event – including US President Barack Obama, former US President Bill Clinton and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
President Abbas greeted Israeli officials, hugging some members of Peres' family and shaking hands with officials and mourners.
Abbas and other senior Palestinians were given a front row seat – a symbolic gesture at the funeral of a man who did much to reach out and end the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Peres – who also served as PM in his lifetime – was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role in negotiating the Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians the previous year.
The deal is widely considered to be the closest the two sides have ever come to a lasting peace agreement.
Also in attendance was Prince Charles, who was seen mingling with the other guests, including French President Francois Hollande.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was also pictured, wearing a traditional Jewish kippah – or skullcap – like many of the other attendees.
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And Canadian PM Justin Trudeau was seen, alongside former US President Bill Clinton who returned for the second day in a row.
Clinton was pictured paying his respects next to the casket yesterday as Peres’ body lay in state next to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem.
But one person who won’t be attending is Bill’s wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
She appeared to go back on an initial suggestion that she would pay her respects in person – instead opting to focus on the campaign trail.
The mass of world leaders in attendance at the event sparked fears of a terror attack, prompting a massive security operation.
Israeli police said 8,000 police officers had been deployed to maintain order during the mourning period.
VIP guests including Prince Charles were seen walking past heavily armed guards as they arrived at Mount Herzl Cemetery this morning.
Israeli police chief Roni Alsheikh said it was "an operation on an unprecedented scale".
And police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Thursday that officers will also monitor social media for possible terror attackers.
A military honour guard escorted the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s casket into the ceremony at Israel's national cemetery this morning.
And a military rabbi sang traditional funeral prayers as the casket entered the area.
Israeli soldiers were seen filing past the mourners after they took their seats, carrying wreaths of flowers to lay beside the coffin before the service began.
Then came the speeches, with Israel's current PM Benjamin Netanyahu praising Peres as “a great man of the world”.
He told the assembled mourners the attendance of so many world leaders was a "testament" to Peres' optimism, his quest for peace and his devotion to Israel.
He said: “He was a great man of Israel. He was a great man of the world. Israel grieves for him. The world grieves for him.”
Next came Clinton, who called the ex-PM Israel's “biggest dreamer” and a “wise champion of our common humanity”.
Addressing the crowd, he said: “He imagined all the things the rest of us could do.
“He started life as Israel's brightest student, became its best teacher and ended up its biggest dreamer.”
Peres died on Wednesday at the age of 93 in a hospital near Tel Aviv after suffering a stroke two weeks ago.
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