3rd LD Writethru: Former Israeli President Peres dies at age 93, funeral set for Friday

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

Peres' body will lie in state at the Knesset (parliament) Thursday to allow the public to pay their respect and he will be laid to rest in Jerusalem Friday, according to Israeli media.

Many world leaders and dignitaries including U.S. President Barack Obama, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former U.S. President Bill Clinton will attend the funeral, said the Israeli Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Doctors at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, where Peres had been hospitalized since Sept. 13, said that the former president died in his sleep, surrounded by his family.

"Shimon Peres left us without suffering," his personal physician and son-in-law, Rafi Walden, told reporters at the hospital.

He said Peres was in good health and "working with full steam" until the day he sustained the stroke. "His life ended abruptly while he was still working on his great passion -- strengthening the state and striving for peace," he said.

Peres was under induced coma for most of his hospitalization to allow him to rest after a massive brain hemorrhage. A day after the stroke, the physicians said his condition was "serious but stable" and were optimistic about the prospects of his recovery.

However, on Tuesday afternoon, his conditions took a turn for the worse after he experienced a kidney failure and a respiratory failure.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara expressed "deep personal sorrow" over the passing of Peres, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.

Netanyahu said he mourns the loss "together with all the citizens of Israel, the Jewish people, and many more throughout the world."

The Prime Minister's Office said the government will hold a special session to mourn Peres Wednesday morning.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of the ultra-right faction of Yisrael Beytenu, said Peres' death was "a sad day for the people of Israel."

A statement by the hawkish politician said that "despite we had political differences, we used to meet frequently and hold conversation about the future of the country... I will miss him as a person."

In a statement released by the White House, Obama said Peres was one of those people "who we share this world with who change the course of human history, not just through their role in human events, but because they expand our moral imagination and force us to expect more of ourselves."

Israel Airports Authority announced that it was completing the preparations for the arrival of heads of states and international journalists at the Ben Gurion Airport.

"This morning, the Authority activated a special command to allow special operation by air traffic division and a general calling-up of all of the Authority's workers," the authority said in a statement.

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. Endit