Shimon Peres
Who was Shimon Peres?
Israeli statesman who served as both Prime Minister and President of Israel, and shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the Oslo Accords. He held the presidency from 2007 to 2014.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Shimon Peres (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Shimon Peres (1923-2016) was an Israeli statesman and politician who served as both Prime Minister and President of Israel during a political career that lasted seven decades. Born Szymon Perski in Višnieva, Poland, he moved to British Mandate Palestine as a child and became one of Israel's most prominent political figures. Peres held many high-ranking positions, including Prime Minister from 1984 to 1986 and 1995 to 1996, and President from 2007 to 2014. His political career was unusually long—he served in the Knesset for 48 consecutive years and was a member of twelve different cabinets, representing five political parties: Mapai, Rafi, the Alignment, Labor, and Kadima.
Peres caught the eye early on as a protégé of David Ben-Gurion, Israel's founding Prime Minister, who noticed his speaking skills and political smarts. He started working in government in defense-related roles, becoming deputy director general of defense at 28 in 1952 and then moving to director general from 1953 to 1959. His diplomatic skills were key in major international negotiations, including the 1956 Protocol of Sèvres discussions and the 1963 negotiations with President John F. Kennedy that led to the first U.S. military equipment sale to Israel—Hawk anti-aircraft missiles.
A major moment in Peres's international career came with his role in the Oslo Accords, the landmark peace talks between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the 1990s. For his work on these peace talks, Peres shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. This award showed his shift from a defense-focused career to becoming a major advocate for Middle East peace later in life.
Peres was educated at several prestigious institutions, including New York University, Harvard University, The New School, and The New School for Social Research, as well as Ironi Alef High School. He was married to Sonia Peres and received many international honors during his career, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 and the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2008, along with other peace and freedom awards. He passed away at Sheba Medical Center in 2016, remembered as one of Israel's most influential leaders and a dedicated advocate for peace in the Middle East.
Before Fame
Shimon Peres was born in the small town of Višnieva, which was in Poland at the time. He moved to British Mandate Palestine as a child during the wave of Jewish immigration in the 1930s. He went to Ironi Alef High School and later attended several schools in the United States, including New York University, Harvard, and The New School.
Peres started his political career right after Israel was founded, at a time when the new country was facing serious threats and needed skilled leaders. His strong speaking skills and sharp mind caught the eye of David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister, who became his mentor. With Israel in urgent need of capable leaders, and thanks to Peres's natural abilities in diplomacy and defense, he quickly moved up to high-level government roles in his twenties.
Key Achievements
- Shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the Oslo Accords
- Served as Israel's President from 2007 to 2014 and Prime Minister twice (1984-1986, 1995-1996)
- Negotiated the first U.S. military equipment sale to Israel with President Kennedy in 1963
- Held the record as longest-serving member in Knesset history with 48 years of service
- Represented five different political parties across seven decades of political career
Did You Know?
- 01.He served continuously in the Knesset for over 46 years, making him the longest-serving member in the Israeli parliament's history
- 02.At the time of his retirement in 2014, he was the world's oldest serving head of state
- 03.He was the last Israeli Prime Minister to have made aliyah rather than being born in what would become Israeli territory
- 04.The 1956 Protocol of Sèvres negotiations he participated in were described by British Prime Minister Anthony Eden as representing the 'highest form of statesmanship'
- 05.He received honorary doctorate from the University of Liège in 1998 and won the unique Planetary Consciousness Prize in 2002
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Nobel Prize in Peace | 1994 | for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East |
| Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George | 2008 | — |
| Presidential Medal of Freedom | 2012 | — |
| Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize | 1993 | — |
| Four Freedoms Award – Freedom from Fear | 1996 | — |
| Philadelphia Liberty Medal | 1996 | — |
| Steiger Award | — | — |
| Honorary doctor of the University of Liège | 1998 | — |
| Planetary Consciousness Prize | 2002 | — |
| Order of the Sun of Peru | 2005 | — |
| Commander of the Legion of Honour | 1957 | — |
| Golden Plate Award | 2003 | — |
| Honorary doctor of the Bilkent University | 2007 | — |
| Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class | — | — |
| Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria | — | — |
| Congressional Gold Medal | 2014 | — |
| honorary doctor of University College London | 2008 | — |
| honorary doctor of the Bar-Ilan University | — | — |
| honorary doctorate of the University of Alcala | 1997 | — |
| Freedom Award | 2015 | — |
| honorary doctor of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations | — | — |
| Osgar | 2003 | — |
| Solomon Bublick Award | 2015 | — |
| Global Citizen Awards | 2014 | — |
| honorary citizen of Ashdod | 1986 | — |
| honorary doctorate of Tours University | 1999 | — |
| Order of Saint Michael and Saint George | — | — |
| Knight of the Legion of Honour | — | — |
| Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria | — | — |
| Order of Stara Planina | — | — |
| Order for Merits to Lithuania | — | — |
| Order of Mono | — | — |