FORMER Israeli President Shimon Peres, one of the last living founding fathers of Israel, passed away at 93 yesterday morning after suffering a major stroke more than two weeks ago.

    Peres’ body will lie in state at the Knesset, or parliament, today to allow the public to pay their respect and he will be laid to rest in Jerusalem tomorrow.

    China yesterday expressed deep condolences at his passing. Peres was a veteran politician and diplomat, as well as a founder of the Middle East peace process, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, adding that he also contributed considerably to China-Israel ties. Peres’ passing is not only a loss for peace in the Middle East, but also to the China-Israel relationship, Geng said.

    Peres was born as Szymon Perski in 1923 in a Polish town now known as Vishnyeva in Belarus. In 1934, he and his family immigrated to Israel, then known as Palestine.

    His nearly 70-year political career covered almost every role in the political arena — he served twice as prime minister. He also served as foreign minister, defense minister, finance minister, chairman of the Labor Party and leader of the opposition in the parliament.

    He played a vital role in founding Israel’s military and aviation industries and established paths for exporting Israeli weapons and security equipment throughout the world. In 1994, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in forming the short-lived peace accords with the Palestinians in 1993. (More on P5)(Xinhua)