Shimon Peres, a pragmatic politician who dares to dream

On August 2 Israeli President Shimon Peres, the oldest politician in Israel, marks his 90th birthday. Peres is not only a contemporary of many historic events of the Middle East, but also a major participant in the majority of them.

Peres' biography is typical for several generations of the Israeli people. Shimon Peres was born on 2 August 1923 in Wiszniew, Poland. His family moved to British Palestine in the 1930s. It was a very risky idea, as Palestine is those days had a very uncertain legal status and a very questionable future.

However, thanks to repatriation, the Peres family escaped the Holocaust. All the Jewish people living in Wiszniew were burnt alive by the Nazis.

Shimon Peres was an active member of the Zionist movement and, despite being very young, got a position in the defence ministry of the new state. As an official he soon proved himself to be a true leader.

Peres then played an important role in Israeli diplomacy. He participated in Israel's talks with the United States and France concerning arms deals. He also played an important role in the 1956 Suez War, being one of those who planned the operation. All in all, Peres was a member of 12 cabinets and headed the defence ministry in July 1976 when Israel launched a raid on Entebbe to free hostages. Shimon Peres also contributed much to the formation of the Israeli defence industry, which is believed to be one of the most effective in the world.

At the turn of the 21st century Shimon Peres was one of the founding fathers of the Middle East peace process. This process is very complicated and it requires special skills from politicians, who have to consider every word and every action thoroughly. This was admitted by Shimon Peres himself. "Every politician should understand the difference between reality and prognosis. I am believed to be the author of the idea of the new Middle East. That is true. I dream about a new Middle East where there will be no hatred between Jews and Arabs. Some call me a charlatan. Now I do not care about that. It makes no difference to me what people call me. I know what I should do," he said.

Shimon Peres also played a major role in the development of Israel's relations with the countries of the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan. He contributed much to the establishment of successful Azerbaijani-Israeli cooperation in various fields including politics, the economy and culture. This has shown the world that effective cooperation between Jews and Muslims is possible.

It's hard to overestimate the role Shimon Peres has played in the history of the region. He is one of those pragmatic politicians who are not afraid to dream. "An animal can see, hear and even remember things, but only humans can dream, think of the future. We should pay attention to the future, not to the past. We are changing the world rapidly," Peres once said.

By Rauf Mirgadimov. Exclusively to VK