On Wednesday 28 September, leaders from the European institutions sent their condolences to Israel, following the passing away of the former president, Shimon Peres, aghed 93, over Tuesday night to Wednesday morning. They all paid unanimous tribute to him.
In a joint letter sent to the current president, Reuven Rivlin, Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, and his counterpart at the European Council, Donald Tusk, stated that "with the death of the former president, the world has lost a true champion of peace". They also said that "Israel has lost a great statesman and Europe has lost a great friend and partner". They recalled the fact that Peres, a Nobel prizewinner in 1994, "never lost his faith in peace" and that they needed to "keep his legacy alive by continuing his unflagging efforts for peace, cooperation and coexistence in the Middle East and globally".
The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, said: "Today the Israeli people lose a father and a landmark in the political landscape and history of Israel". In a press release, Mr Schulz added: "We salute the memory of an exceptional and visionary statesman, a figure who genuinely defended security, peace and dignity". He also recalled that Peres unflaggingly believed "in peace with the Palestinians and neighbouring Arab countries" . Schulz pointed out that Peres' "charisma, ideas and personality never failed to inspire".
The high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, Federica Mogherini, said in a press release that Peres "never lost hope in peace, and never stopped working to turn hope into reality. Even in the darkest moments his wit, his irony, his obstinate pursuit of dialogue were a source of inspiration for many around the world".
Mogherini will travel with Tusk to Israel on Friday for Peres' funeral. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)