Obama: Peres won his wars but understood the need for peace

JERUSALEM — President Barack Obama hailed Shimon Peres Friday as a man who showed the world that justice and hope are at the heart of the Zionist ideal and saw "all people as deserving of dignity and respect."

Wearing a Jewish skullcap as a sign of respect and reverence, Obama said he was the 10th president to fall prey to Peres' charms and they forged an unlikely friendship, despite the nearly four-decade gap in their ages and starkly different backgrounds.

"It was so surprising to see the two of us, where we had started, talking together in the White House, meeting here in Israel," he said. "I think both of us understood that we were here only because in some way we reflected the magnificent story of our nations."

http://www.startribune.com/obama-flies-to-israel-for-shimon-peres-memorial-service/395368111/