George H.W. Bush And Shimon Peres Foster American-Israeli Diplomacy Editorial Image

Polish-born Israeli statesman and politician Shimon Peres was a protege of Israeli founding father and first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion. Peres was a 2-time prime minister and also served as Israel's president, significantly expanding its ceremonial role continuing to carry on international diplomacy. A pragmatic leader, he joined with his Labor Party rival Yitzhak Rabin to engage Yasser Arafat in the Oslo Accords, and all three received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts. Peres served in 12 cabinets in such capacities as prime minister, foreign minister, and defense minister. Peres died at 93 from the effects of a massive stroke, in Ramat Gan, Israel on September 28, 2016. In this image at then Prime Minister Peres' Jerusalem office, on July 30, 1986, Israel's Minister of Communications Amnon Rubinstein, Vice-President George HW Bush, US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Pickering, and Peres ink an agreement allowing the United States to construct a Voice of America transmitter in Israel; July 30, 1986.