Australia’s Governor-General to attend the funeral of Shimon Peres
Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced that Australia’s Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove will attend the funeral of the 9th Israel’s president Shimon Peres.
Lady and Sir Peter Cosgrove
Malcolm Turnbull said: “I have requested that His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, represent Australia and Australians at the funeral service of Shimon Peres.
The Governor-General and Lady Cosgrove will depart Australia tomorrow afternoon. The funeral will be held in Jerusalem on Friday.
Shimon Peres will be remembered as a truly great statesman; a nation builder and peacemaker. He helped found the state of Israel and went on to lead it, as Prime Minister and President.
Shimon Peres had a special fondness for Australia and Australians, among whom he had many friends and admirers.”
Dozens of world leaders are expected to attend the state service, which will be held at the Great Leaders of the Nation’s plot on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
The coffin of the Ninth President, Shimon Peres, will lie in state tomorrow at the central Knesset plaza in Jerusalem from 9:00 until 21:00, for the public to pay their final respects to a man who served the country as President, Prime Minister, and in numerous other government positions over the years.
Peres’ coffin, which will lie in state at the central Knesset plaza, will be visited by people from Israel and around the world. They will come to pay their respects and to honor Shimon Peres who dedicated his life to the State of Israel and to creating a better world.
Some of the political leaders who will pay their respects tomorrow include: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven (Rubi) Rivlin, Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein, ambassadors from around the world, mayors from across the country, international delegations coming specifically for this occasion, young Jewish and Arab participants from all of the Peres Center for Peace’s main programs, members of the Israeli Youth Movement, representatives of communities and development towns, students from schools across the country, and Israeli artists.
As part of the mourning over the death of the Ninth President, the Israeli flag will be flown at half-mast at all government buildings in Israel and Israeli diplomatic missions around the world, as of tomorrow morning. The Israeli Knesset will lower the flag to half-mast starting today.
