PERES CENTER FOR PEACE

Celebrating 80 Years with Shimon Peres „The Marking of Peres’ 80th Birthday is an opportunity to look forward with the man who has his feet firmly planted on the ground as his vision sails to the future.” THE OFFICE OF SHIMON PERES AND THE PERES CENTER FOR PEACE WHY A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR SHIMON PERES? Tel Aviv—-September 19……The Israeli Government, Israeli leaders in industry, trade and culture and members of the Israeli defense establishment are taking the opportunity of former Prime Minister and Defense Minister Shimon Peres 80th birthday to organize an international event in Israel to illustrate Israel’s quest for peace and security.


Shimon Peres epitomizes Israel and its cherished history. From serving as Israeli Prime Minister, Defense Minister and Foreign Minister, establishing Israel’s nuclear programs and coordinating the legendary Entebbe rescue mission to seeking peace at Oslo and today serving as the head of Israel’s Labor party, Nobel Peace Laureate Shimon Peres has stood tall for Israel for over 60 years of public service. The „Party” is not so much a celebration of Shimon Peres as it is a celebration of Israel itself. Event organizers, President Moshe Katsav, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have invited global leaders to Israel, to break bread with Israelis and witness first hand Israel’s achievements in defense, industry and culture. With these world leaders come the international press corps who we invite to examine and report on Israel’s thriving democracy. This celebration was made possible by private donations and through the unselfish work of volunteers from all spectrums of the political sphere. The only area in which the Israeli government has allocated very limited funds was for the security of Israeli governmental officials and the honored guests (many of whom are bringing their own security) who are to arrive shortly in our home – Israel. The success of this special international event can only be judged by those who have accepted to take part in it. We, the Israeli people, say: „thank you” to all those who will be arriving in Israel to join us in this celebration of Shimon Peres, Israeli democracy and Israel’s continued pursuit of peace with all her neighbors. Multi-Media Birthday Celebration Website: www.peres80.com UPDATED LIST OF HONORED GUESTS TO ATTEND PERES 80 H. E. Mr. Paulo Jorge Teixeira Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Angola Angola Dr. Carlos Alberto Bulgheroni President, Bridas Corporation Argentina Mr. Viktor Klima President, Volkswagen Argentina, Former Chancellor of Austria Argentina The Hon. Bob Hawke Former Prime Minister of Australia Australia Dr. Franz Vranitzky Former Chancellor of Austria Austria Mr. Heinz Fischer Second President of the National Council, Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria Austria Mr. Jacques Simonet Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Belgium Dr. Peter Meyer-Viol Belgium Sr. Enrique Baron Crespo Member of the European Parliament, Chairman of the Party of European Socialists Belgium Mr. Francois ZIMERAY Member of the European Parliament, Member of the Delegation for Relations with Israel Belgium Monsieur Jacques Graubart President, Belgian Friends of Yad Vashem Belgium Mr. Adam Nyman CEO, EUpolitix.com Belgium Ministro Nelson Azevedo Jobim Vice Presidente do Supremo Tribunal Federal Brazil H.E. Mr. Angel Marin Vice President Bulgaria H.E. Dr. Solomon Passy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria Bulgaria Mr. Sergei Stanishev Chairman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Bulgaria Ms. Lison Benarroch Le Groupe S.M. International Inc. Canada Mr. & Mrs. Harry & Nancy J. F. Bloomfield Queen’s Counsel and President of the ELDEE foundation Canada Mr. Josef Burnett Canada Mr. Johann Olav Koss President & CEO, Olympic Aid Canada Mr. Bernard Poulin President, The S.M. Group International inc. Canada Ms. Irit Shay Canada Mr. Uri Sagman President, C Sixty Inc. Canada Mr. David Berger Canada Mr. Donald Wright Canada H.E. Mr. Ivan Mesias Lehu Former Vice-President of the Chilean Parlament Chile H.E. Mr. Wang Changyi Former Ambassador of China to Israel, Member of the State Political and Consultative Committee China Licenciada Karen Olsen Beck de Figueres Former Ambassador of Costa Rica to Israel Costa Rica Mrs. Simone Gbagbo First Lady of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire Cote d’Ivoire Hon. Mr. Alecos P. Michaelides President of the Institute for Eurodemocracy, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Cyprus Mrs. Mary PAPADOPOULOS CEO, M.P.D. Secure-net Cyprus Mr. Prodromos PAPAVASSILIOU Honorary Consul of Israel, Honorary Chairman of the Cyprus-Israel Association Cyprus Hon. Mr. George Vassiliou Former President of Cyprus Cyprus Mr. Jan KAVAN President of The UN General Assembly, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Czech Republic Rev. Joan Brown Campbell Chairman, National Council of Churches Ms. Dena Merriam Senior Vice President, Ruder & Finn H.E. Mr. Cyril SVOBODA Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Czech Republic Mr. Pavel Svarc CEO, Unipetrol a.s Czech Republic H.E. Mr. Rodrigo Borja Former President of Ecuador Ecuador H.E. Dr. Nahum Fasil Legal Advisor to the Prime Minister Ethiopia Mr. Charles Reisman General Director, BNP PARIBAS France Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Grosman Celio Company France Mr. Prosper Amouyal President, Caron Perfume France Monsieur Dr. Jacques Attali Chairman, A&A France Mr. Pierre Besnainou Director, LibertySurf France Dr. Joachim Bitterlich Executive Vice President of International Affairs, Amb. Er. , Veolia France Dr. Arrik Delouya Sociologist Researcher and Expert Consultant, Communication & Development Strategy Fund Raising France Monsieur Dr. Robert Parienti Delegue General, l’Institut WEIZMANN des Sciences France Mr. Rene Guitton Editions Calmann-Levy France Mr. Philippe Guez Deutche Bank France Monsieur Claude Lanzmann Film Director France Monsieur le Ministre Francois Leotard Former Minister of Defense of France France Ms. Cynthia Liebow Foreign Literature, Les Editions Noir sur Blanc France Mr. Jacques Toledano President, Filroc and Avis France M. Hubert Berebi President, SOMERCOM France Mr. Eric Ghebali Development Senior Vice President, SUEZ Group France Mr. Francois Albert Levy General Manager, Searchspace France France Mr. Claude Uzan France Ms. Ilana Shimmel France Monsieur l’ambassadeur Enrico Macias France Mr. Badry Arkady Patarkatsishvili Georgia Mr. Manfred Staudinger Member of Board, Staudinger Consulting Germany Mrs. Iris Berben MOOVIE the art of entertaiment Germany Mr. Gregory Blatt Executive Vice President, Business Development, Hubert Burda Media Germany H.E. Mr. Joschka Fischer German Minister of Foreign Affairs Germany H.E. Mr. Otto Schily Federal Minister of the Interior of Germany Germany Mr. & Mrs. Otto Georg Germany Mr. Klaus Krone CEO, Krone MT – telecommunications Germany Mr. Heskel Nathaniel ARS AGO Germany Dr. Ferdinand Piech Chairman, The Board of management, Volkswagen AG Germany Hon. Dr. H. c. Johannes H. Rau Federal President of Germany Germany Mr. Rafael Seligmann Writer and Journalist Germany Dr. Uriel J. Sharef Executive Vice President, Siemens AG Germany Hernn Oliver Haeggberg Executive Advisor, TDEK Germany H.E. Mr. George A. Papandreou Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece Greece H. E. Mr. Dimitris Dollis Secretary General for International Economic Relations and Development Cooperation Greece Mrs. Photini Tomai-Constantopoulou Director of the Service of Diplomatic Records of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece Greece Mr. & Mrs. Masias & Bella Restis President of Rhodes Jewish Community; President of Enterprises Shipping and Trading Greece H.E. Mr. Laszlo Kovacs Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Hungary Hungary Mr. Maulana Wahiduddin-Khan President, The Islamic Center India Mr. Terje Roed Larsen Special Envoy to the Middle East, United Nations Israel Dr. Mohammed Qutob Israel Dr. Alfredo Ambrosetti Chairman, Ambrosetti Srl Italy Mrs. Gabriela David Director, Servonat Italy Mr. Alfonso De Virgiliis Lawyer Italy Mr. Massimiliano Fuksas Architect Italy Prof. Rita Levi-Montalcini Italy Prof. Dr. Marco Petroni Italy Mr. Mario Moretti Polegato Geox Respira Italy Mr. Giancarlo Elia Valori President, Unione Industriali Roma Italy The Honorable Walter Veltroni Mayor of Rome Italy Mr. Massimo Toschi Consigliere del Presidente della Regione Toscana Italy Mr. Nobuo FUJIWARA President, Japan-Israel Chamber of Commerce Japan Mr. Suliman Ghezawi Chairman, The Jordan Valley Farmers Association Jordan Dr. Jihad A.K. Barghouthi Ear, nose and throat consultant & neuro-otologist Jordan Mr. Zeyad Salah President, Zayad Salah and Partners Contracting Jordan Dr. Tarek Tarawneh Managing Director, Interdisciplinary Research Consultants Jordan Prof. Wadi Shariha Former Dean of the Jordan University; Senior Lecturer in Economic Planning Jordan General (Ret.) Ihsan Shurdom Former Chief of Staff RJAF; Former advisor to King Hussein; Head of the Jordanian Chapter of Copenhagen Group Jordan General (Ret.) Mansour Abu Rashid Chairman, Amman Center for Peace & Development Jordan Mr. & Mrs. Timur and Alfiya Kuanyshev Presidents, Holy Sounds Foundation International Kazakhstan Hon. Emmanuel K. Maitha Minister Kenya Cllr. Joe Akech Mayor of Nairobi Kenya Cllr. John Mutahi Waweru Mayor, Thika Municipal Council Kenya Herrn Pierre Schneider Honorary Consul of Israel in Luxembourg Luxembourg Ms. Monique Hamilius Luxembourg H.E. Prof. Guido de Marco President of Malta Malta Ms. Rosette FENECH Director, Malta Airport Malta Mr. Joe Mifsud Chairperson, Euro-Med Movement Malta Mtra. Tamara Kolangui de Levin Universidad Anahuac Mexico Mr. Serge Berdugo Secretary-General, Council of Jewish Communities in Morocco Morocco H.E. Mr. Francisco Madeira Minister of the Presidency of Mozambique Mozambique Hon. Ike Nwachkwu Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Nigeria Rt. Hon. David Trimble MP Ulster Unionist Party Northern Ireland Mr. Jens P. Heyerdahl Director, ORKLA Industries Norway H.E. Mr. Thorbjoern Jagland Member of Parliament Norway Ms. Tove Kvammen Midelfart Lawyer Norway Mr. Husseini Kamel Palestinian Authority H.E. Minister Tadeusz Iwinski Secretary of State, Office of the Prime Minister Poland H.E. Minister Marek Maciej Siwiec Chief of the National Security Bureau of the Republic of Poland Poland Mr. Karol Drozd Polish Chapter of the Peres Center for Peace, P.H.Z Bartimpex S.A. Poland H.E. Mr. Dusan Mihajlovic Vice Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Republic of Serbia Mr. & Mrs. Gerald & Vera Weisfeld Weisfeld Foundation Scotland H.E. Mr. Vladan Batic Minister of Justice Serbia and Montenegro H.E. Mr. Boris Tadec Minister of Defense Serbia and Montenegro H.E. Mr. Rudolf Schuster President of the Slovak Republic Slovak Republic Hon. Mr. Milan Kucan Former President of the Republic of Slovenia Slovenia H.E. F. W. de Klerk The F.W. de Klerk Foundation South Africa Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi M.P. Minister of Home Affairs South Africa Hon. Tony Leon Leader of the Democratic Party South Africa Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Toledano & Monique Hatchwell President, Excem Grupo, Federacion Sefaradi Espana Spain H.E. Mrs. Ana Palacio Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Spain Spain Hon. Noemi Sanin Posada Ambassador of Columbia to Spain Spain Mr. Pilippe Amon Switzerland Hon. Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev President, Green Cross International and International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies Switzerland Mr. Alexander Likhotal CEO, Green Cross International Switzerland The Hon. Mr. Jose Maria Figueres Senior Managing Director, World Economic Forum, Former President of Costa Rica Switzerland Mr. Axel Loehken Engineer Switzerland Mr. Hikmet Cetin Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Turkey Mr. Jak V. Kamhi President, Profilo Holdings A.S. Turkey Mr. Joseph Kay United Kingdom Mr. Darryl Edwards President UK, Ireland & Northern Region, EMEA, Nortel Networks United Kingdom Sir Richard Greenbury Philips United Kingdom The Lord Greville Janner United Kingdom Mr. Jonathan Kestenbaum Advisor, Apax Partners Holdings LTD United Kingdom The Rt. Hon. Lord Michael Levy M&G Records, Queens Studio United Kingdom Mr. & Mrs. William Nagel United Kingdom Mr. Luis Ayala Secretary General, Socialist International United Kingdom Mr. & Mrs. Poju Zabludowicz Ivory Gate (UK) LTD. United Kingdom Captain & Mrs. Reginald Levy D.F.C. United Kingdom Mr. Michael M. Geiger Managing Director, Shamrock International LTD United Kingdom Mr. Darko Horvat CEO, Aktiva Capital Limited United Kingdom Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Rix Lord Justice of Appeal, Member of the Privy Council United Kingdom M. Ilan Rudich Development Resources Int. United Kingdom Mr. & Mrs. Stanley & Alison Saffer Trott & Gentry United Kingdom Mr. Jonathan Morris United Kingdom Mr. Ynon Kreiz The Media Center United Kingdom Mr. Daniel S. Abraham Chairman, SDA Enterprises, Inc. USA Kenneth Bialkin Esq. Skadden, Arpa, Slate, Meanger & Flom LLP USA The Hon. President William Jefferson Clinton Founder, William Jefferson Clinton Foundation, Former President of the United States USA Mr. Adam Chesnoff President & Chief Operating Officer, Saban Capital Group, Inc. USA Mr. Pascal Debon Nortel Networks Limited USA Mr. Abe Foxman Head of the Anti Defamation League USA Mrs. Amy Friedkin President, AIPAC USA Mr. Malcolm Hoenlein Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations USA Mr. Howard Kohr Executive Director, AIPAC USA Mr. Steven C. Koppel Heller Ehrman Attorneys USA Ms. Sara Ehrman Senior Advisor, Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation USA Ms. Toni Verstandig Senior Policy Advisor, Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation USA Ms. Judith Barnett Managing Consultant, PA Consulting Group USA Amb. Clay Constantinou (Ret.) Dean, School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University USA Nancy Duber Bernstein Company USA Mr. Zev Furst President, First International Resources USA Amb. Marc Ginsberg CEO and Managing Director, Northstar Equity Group USA Mr. & Mrs. Brian & Myra Greenspun Las Vegas Sun USA Mr. Irwin T. Holtzman USA Mr. Rafael Kravec Founder and CEO, French Fragrances USA Mr. Harvey Krueger Vice President, Lehman Brothers USA Amb. Ronald S. Lauder R. S. Lauder, Gasper & Company USA Mr. Morris Levy Vice President, Morsly Inc. USA Mr. Stephen Levy President, Morsly Inc. USA Dr. Frank Luntz President, Luntz Research USA Mrs. Christine Lynn USA Mr. Hani Masri Chairman, Capital Investment Management Corporation USA Ms. Isabel Maxwell Apax Partners USA Mr. Arnon Milchan Founder & Producer, New Regency Productions, Inc. USA Mr. Aaron D. Miller President, Seeds of Peace USA Mr. Russell Robinson USA Mr. Haim Saban CEO, Saban Entertainment, Inc USA Ms. Liliane Shalom L.S. Consulting LTD. USA Mr. Stephen Shalom USA Mr. Alan Slifka Chairman of the Board, The Abraham Fund Initiatives USA Mr. Harold Tanner President, The American Jewish Committee USA Mr. Joel Kaplan President, B’nai B’rith International USA Mr. Thomas J. Madden Chairman and CEO, TransMedia Group Inc. USA Dr. Dan Maydan President Emeritus, Applied Materials USA Ms. Bernice Manocherian President Elect., AIPAC USA Mrs. Georgette Mosbacher USA Mr. & Mrs. Serge Sorokko USA Mr. Melvin Salberg Anderson, Kill & Olick USA Mr. Andre G. Sassoon Attorney At Law USA Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Etoile Volin USA Mrs. Elizabeth (Lally) G. Weymouth Senior Editor and Special Diplomatic Correspondent, Newsweek Inc. USA Ms. Kathleen Turner actress USA Mr. Sergey Brin Co-Founder and President, Google USA Mr. Larry Page Co-Founder, Google USA Ms. Helena Galper Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind USA ——————————————————————————– UPDATED SCHEDULE OF EVENTS September 21 9:30 a.m. – Sponsors / Guests reception at Peres Center for Peace, 132 Kedem Street, Jaffa 11:00 a.m. – Peres Center Board of Governors meeting at Dan Hotel, Tel Aviv 15:30 – Official guests attend reception with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Jerusalem 17:00 – Official guests attend reception with President Moshe Katsav, Jerusalem 19:30 – Opening of „Beyond Now” ceremony at Mann auditorium, Tel Aviv September 22 Vision & Reality Conference Program In this conference we shall discuss the range of issues that will shape our future world, from science and technology to art and culture, from water and environment to geopolitics and peace. We will examine achievements and failures. We will describe challenges and dangers and will attempt to identify means and ways for impacting our future. The journey to the future is an adventure. The conference is fare for the road. 8:30-9:00 Registration 9:00-9:10 Musical Interlude Agam Englard (opera singer) 9:10-9:15 Opening remarks: H.E. Ehud Olmert, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Industry, Trade, Labor and Communications, Chairman of the Honorary Committee, Israel 9:15-9:20 Greetings: Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, President, Tel Aviv University, Israel 9:20-10:50 First Panel Geopolitics and Peace The modern era is characterized by a rapid and extreme pace of change. This is true for the global arena and certainly so for the Middle East. Deliberations in this panel will seek to examine these processes of change and underscore the role of leadership in them. Moderator: Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, President, Tel Aviv University, Israel Speakers: The Hon. R. J. L Hawke, Former Prime Minister of Australia, Australia H.E. F. W. de Klerk, F.W. de Klerk Foundation, South Africa H.E. Ehud Olmert, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Industry, Trade, Labor and Communications, Chairman of the Honorary Committee, Israel H.E. Ana Palacio, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain 10:50-11:00 Musical Interlude Dorel Golan (young pianist) 11:00-12:30 Second Panel The Promise and Risks of Science and Technology Revolutionary breakthroughs in science and technology influence our lives in the present and herald dramatic advances in the future. This panel will explore the contribution, benefits, threats and risks to our society, economy and politics. Moderator: Prof. Ilan Chet, President, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Speakers: Mr. Sergey Brin, Co-founder, Google, U.S.A. Mr. Pascal Debon, President, Wireless Networks of Nortel Networks, U.S.A. Dr. Dan Maydan, President Emeritus, Applied Materials Inc., U.S.A. Dr. Yossi Vardi, Chairman, International Technology, Israel Ms. Yael Niv, Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Program for Fostering Excellence, Tel Aviv University, Israel 12:30-14:30 Lunch Break 14:30-14:40 Performance by „Adama”-Dance Group 14:40-16:10 Third Panel Water and the Environment Population growth and economic development create a need to find a new, useful and fair balance between humans and their environment. The dwindling water resources that affect this and other areas in the world require creative solution in water desalination and purification. In this panel we will explore the ability of science and technology to provide for a fruitful coexistence of humans with their environment. Moderator: Prof. Avishay Braverman, President, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel Speakers: Dr. Jacques Attali, Chairman, A&A, France Dr. Joachim Bitterlich, Executive Vice-President International Affairs, VEOLIA Environment, France Prof. Ora Kedem, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, The Weizmann Institute of Science. Head of Desalination Program, Institute of Water Science Technologies (IWST), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Prof. Uriel Safriel, Professor of Ecology, Department of Evolution, Systematics and Ecology, Hebrew University. Previous Director, The Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel Ms. Clara Liliana Ariza Nini, M.Sc.in Desert Studies, Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel 16:10-16:20 Folklore music by Alidin -Aliza and Din Din Aviv 16:20-17:50 Fourth Panel Interrelation between Art and Culture and Politics Writers, artists and playwrights bring political and social issue into the public consciousness. Modern media and politicians also try to be creative in their quest for solutions to complex problems. This panel will examine the interrelationship between the different domains. Moderator: Dr. Ilana Dayan, Presenter, Channel 2 News, Israel Television, Israel Speakers: Mr. Massimiliano Fuksas, Architect, Italy Mr. Claude Lanzmann, Professor of Documentary Film, Director, France Ms. Kathleen Turner, Actress, U.S.A. Mrs. Elizabeth (Lally) Weymouth, Senior Editor and Special Diplomatic Correspondent, Newsweek Inc., U.S.A. Mr. Uri Hollander, Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Program for Fostering Excellence, Tel Aviv University, Israel 18:00-19:00 Closing Session: Leaders’ Insight Speakers: Mr. Shimon Peres, Chairman of the Labour Party Mr. Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel 19:00 Closing Performance Children’s Choirs: „Efroni” and „Nofar” A poster competition will be held during the conference. The posters, especially created for the event by Israeli designers, will be on display in the Grosskopf Foyer. A panel of judges will announce the winners at the close of the fourth panel. *The program may be subject to changes. ——————————————————————————– Shimon Peres – Biography Shimon Peres was born in August 1923 in Poland. Preceded two years earlier by his father, Peres and his family moved to Tel Aviv in 1934. After a number of years in Kibbutz Geva and Kibbutz Alumot, Peres was elected Secretary of the Labor youth movement in 1943. In 1947, Peres was conscripted into the Haganah Defense Forces and assigned responsibility for manpower and arms purchases, continuing this post during the early part of Israel’s War of Independence. A year later, Peres was appointed head of Israel’s navy and at the war’s end assumed the position of Director of the Defense Ministry’s procurement delegation in the United States. In 1953, at the age of 29, Peres was appointed by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion to the post of Director General of the Defense Ministry, a position he held until 1959. During that period he established Israel’s electronic aircraft industry and was responsible for Israel’s nuclear program. In 1959, Peres was elected to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, and has remained a member ever since. From that year, and until 1965, he served as Deputy Defense Minister. In 1965, together with David Ben-Gurion, he left the Mapai Labor Party and became Secretary General of Rafi (Israel Workers List). In 1968, he initiated bringing Rafi back to Mapai to form the Israel The Labor Party. The following year he was appointed Immigrant Absorption Minister and from 1970­74 served as Minister of Transportation and Communications. In 1974, after a period as Information Minister, Peres was appointed Defense Minister, a position he held until 1977. Prior to the elections in 1977, which placed the The Labor Party in opposition, Peres was elected Chairman of the The Labor Party, a post he held until 1992. During that period he was elected Vice President of the Socialist International. Upon the establishment of a National Unity Government, in September 1984, Peres served as Prime Minister and between 1986-88 as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. From November 1988 until the dissolution of the National Unity Government in 1990, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. In July 1992, after the election of the new Labor Government, Peres was appointed Foreign Minister. In 1994, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. On November 5, 1995, following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Peres was appointed acting Prime Minister and on November 22, 1995, after being approved by the Knesset, he was sworn in as Prime Minister and Defense Minister. He served in these two posts until the May 1996 elections. During this trying period, Peres strove to maintain the momentum in the peace process, despite a wave of terrorist attacks by Palestinian suicide bombers against Israeli civilians. Shimon Peres continued to serve as chairman of the Labor Party for a year after the party’s election defeat. In June 1997, former Chief-of-Staff and Labor Member of Knesset Ehud Barak was elected chairman of the Labor Party. From 1996-1999, he served as a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and Minister of Regional Cooperation from July 1999 until March 2001. In March 2001, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister. He created the Peace Research Institute with the aim of promoting and implementing regional economic projects. He is married, and has three children. Shimon Peres has authored ten books, including The Next Step (1965); David’s Sling; Entebbe Diary (1991), The New Middle East, For the Future of Israel and Battling for Peace; A Memoir. He is married to Sonya and has a daughter, Zikki, and two sons, Yoni and Hemi. Click Here to Go to the Official Shimon Peres 80 Birthday site PRESS ROOM – ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEDIA COVERAGE LOTAN COMMUNICATIONS ISRAELPr ISRAELNEWSAGENCY