Hoyer to Attend Funeral of Former Israeli President Shimon Peres

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) today will travel with President Obama to Jerusalem to attend the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres.  Former President Peres will be laid to rest Friday at the Mt. Herzl Cemetery.

“Tomorrow, I will join friends, colleagues, and leaders from the United States and around the world to bid farewell to a visionary who fought as hard for a future of peace as he did to defend his nation from war and terror,” Whip Hoyer said.  “President Peres’s life was the story of Israel in its first seven decades.  I pray that his vision is the story of Israel for decades to come.  I’m honored to be joining President Obama as part of the delegation from the United States to express the sympathies of our nation to the people of Israel and pay a final tribute to this great man and great leader for Israel, the Jewish people, and the world.” 

Whip Hoyer will return to Washington on Friday following the funeral.  This will be Hoyer’s fifteenth visit to Israel as a Member of Congress.