Shimon Peres bows out as president praising Israel ‘the great state’

By Marcus Dysch for TheJC.com

In his farewell speech as president of Israel, Shimon Peres has spoken of his belief in the country’s strength to overcome Hamas, and his intention to continue his public service.

Speaking at the Knesset as he prepared to hand over to incoming-head of state Reuven Rivlin, Mr Peres said he had watched Israel become a “great state”.

“I know of no other country on the face of the earth or throughout history, which amazed and surprised so much,” the 90-year-old said.

“It is a great privilege to be a citizen among citizens who know toil and struggle. Who made a supreme effort and carried determined hope until the first dew of our dawn.

“We returned. We built. We fought. We prayed. Until we began to see contours that even surprised us. We are an ancient people who are getting older. We are a people, first and foremost, that rebuilds itself time and again.”

Charting the history of the Jewish people and their state, Mr Peres said there were “still idols to be smashed, slaves to free, lives to save and justice to uphold. There is still a world to fix”.

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