Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Bill Clinton and Amar’e Stoudemire Lead Parade of Well-Wishers for Shimon Peres

As former Israeli President Shimon Peres continues to recover from the — he remains in stable but serious condition as of Wednesday morning — an extremely diverse group of politicians and other public figures are wishing him well.

It’s a testament to Peres’ global appeal as a symbol of peace that he would elicit get- well wishes from individuals as varied as former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire and Norway’s foreign affairs minister. Stoudemire, who describes himself as culturally Jewish and will play on an Israeli basketball team this winter, met Peres during a visit to Israel in 2013.

Sending prayers and wishing you a speedy recovery @PresidentPeres pic.twitter.com/KNBEtmu9Jf

— Amar’e Stoudemire (@Amareisreal) September 13, 2016

My thoughts are with Israel’s elder statesman S. Peres suffering a stroke. Shimon the last of Israel’s founding generation; a man of peace

— Børge Brende (@borgebrende) September 13, 2016

Former President Bill Clinton, who worked with Peres on the Oslo Accords, reportedly called Peres’ camp multiple times on Tuesday night. Tony Blair, another ally in the peace process — he previously served as envoy for the Quartet for Middle East Peace, a multi-lateral effort to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — also called to check in.

Even Russian President Vladimir Putin called, according to Peres’ spokesperson (although The Times of Israel noted that Putin’s spokesperson did not confirm what was discussed).

Here are some of the other prominent people who saluted Peres on social media.

Get Well Shimon Peres, Man of Peace

— Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) September 13, 2016

 

You are in my thoughts and prayers @PresidentPeres. I wish you a complete and quick recovery. pic.twitter.com/6OL4Vz8MRa

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) September 13, 2016

 

Our thoughts and prayers are with former Israeli President Shimon Peres. https://t.co/qJQPKWE5DD

— Kelly Ayotte (@KellyAyotte) September 13, 2016

 

My thoughts are with Shimon Peres, a true friend of America. I hope for a speedy recovery to one of Israel’s greatest. @PresidentPeres

— Brad Sherman (@BradSherman) September 14, 2016

 

Thoughts & prayers with Shimon Peres. https://t.co/o0VFIQtVt7

— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) September 13, 2016

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.

In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.

At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.

Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly. 

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.