Shai from Jerusalem: Good Morning, the 9th President

This morning, the 9th President of Israel, Shimon Peres, will walk into his new office at the official residence of Israeli Presidents. There has been no position in the political arena he has not held – Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Transportation, Minister of Communications, and the list goes on and on…

It would appear that Peres himself cannot remember all his past positions and everything he has accomplished. But certainly he has never entered into office upon such a strong wave of public support and sympathy. It seems as though the citizens of Israel were adamant this time to see Peres in the President’s Residence once and for all, after he had missed the same opportunity seven years ago.

Perhaps this is not the only reason. The last two Presidents, Ezer Weizmann and Moshe Katsav, were forced to resign from office before completing their full term, under circumstances which everyone would rather forget. Katsav did not even bother to attend yesterday’s ceremony at the Knesset, when his successor was inaugurated. Katsav himself will soon be appearing in court and pleading guilty to a number of severe charges, although according to the plea agreement he will not be facing imprisonment.

But the story of the day is without shadow of doubt Shimon Peres, who at 83 years of age will probably never change.

Yesterday, when stepping up to the speakers’ podium at the Knesset, he made no attempt to hide his opinions, and openly stated that Israel will need to make concessions on the road to peace. Many were not pleased to hear political statements made by the new President, but Peres will most likely be different from his predecessors. Peace is only one of the issues he will attempt to promote from the President’s Residence. He nurtures the vision of Israel as an empire of technology and high-tech, and the dream of developing the Negev, the Galilee, Jerusalem, and the Valley of Peace on the road to Eilat.

Peres will waste no time. He will travel the world as an emissary, seeking on one hand to promote peace between Israel and its neighbors, and on the other hand to raise resources and support for realizing his dreams. “Once,” he said yesterday, “I wanted to be a shepherd or a star-poet.” In the meantime, Shimon Peres became the 9th President of the State of Israel.