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Thousands bid tearful adieu to peace crusader Peres

Thousands of mourners on Thursday payed their respects to the late Shimon Peres outside Israel’s parliament building in Jerusalem.

Thousands of people were visiting the site, where Peres’ casket lay ahead of his funeral in Jerusalem on Friday.

The Israeli police say 8,000 police officers have been deployed to maintain order during the mourning period.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said officers will also monitor social media for potential attackers.

Scores of foreign leaders, including US President Barack Obama, will attend Peres’ funeral. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, French President Francois Hollande and German President Joachim Gauck will also attend Peres’ funeral.

It is expected to be the largest such gathering in Israel since the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated by a Jewish nationalist in 1995.

Peres died on Wednesday due to complications following a stroke. He was 93.

Former US President Bill Clinton joined thousands of mourners in paying respects to Peres on Thursday. Clinton and his wife, US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, have said they lost “a true and treasured friend” in Peres.

The son-in-law and personal physician of Shimon Peres said the former Israeli president left behind detailed plans for his funeral.

Dr Rafi Walden says Peres requested that his three children speak, along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, a foreign dignitary and an Israeli cultural figure. 
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