STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN WM. LACY CLAY (D) MISSOURI REGARDING THE DEATH OF FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, PRESIDENT AND NOBEL PRIZE WINNER SHIMON PERES

NOTE: The following, in its entirety, is a

first-person statement by

Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri

"For more than seven decades, Shimon Peres stood as a pillar of strength, courage and innovation for the State of Israel and the Jewish people.  With his death, the last of Israel's founding fathers has passed into history.  But his visionary commitment to the pursuit of a secure, lasting peace among Israel and all her neighbors must continue.  He believed, as do I, that the threads of our common humanity are ultimately stronger and far more powerful than the things that divide us.  May his vision of peace come soon.  I send my heartfelt condolences to his family, to the Israeli people and to my many friends in the St. Louis Jewish community.  May his memory always be a blessing."

-30-