Peres marks 80th birthday in Tel Aviv

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, September 22, 2003

Peres marks 80th birthday in Tel Aviv

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A parade of global figures -- from Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev to actress Kathleen Turner -- filed into Tel Aviv Sunday to celebrate the 80th birthday of former prime minister Shimon Peres, the Nobel laureate, visionary of peace and oft-failed political candidate.

The extraordinary guest list reflected global appreciation for Peres' efforts toward a "New Middle East" -- the title of his 1993 book dismissed by many in Tel Aviv as utopian -- and a longing for the days before the Israeli-Palestinian peace process collapsed in violence that has killed thousands in the last three years.

But Israeli critics saw an extravaganza whose security costs and general disruption suggested an oversized ego and somewhat poor form at a time when fighting continues and the ranks of poor Israelis and Palestinians are swelling.

Peres, whose birthday was actually last month, says he only went along with the party idea to bring some cheer to the region. It was organized by both supporters and the right-wing Likud government whose policies he opposes.

The tight schedule included a reception at the "Peres Center for Peace" in Jaffa, a meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem and a gala at a Tel Aviv concert hall -- followed by a symposium Monday.

"I feel strange," Peres said Sunday. "But it happens once in 80 years, so you can survive."

American entertainment figures wished Peres a happy birthday by video at the Tel Aviv ceremony -- including Barbara Streisand and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Filmmaker Woody Allen sent greetings "from a bad Jew to a very great Jew."

But Clinton stole the show. He was mobbed by reporters and admirers upon arrival, and was invited to the stage to sing John Lennon's "Imagine" with a choir of 40 Arab and 40 Jewish children.

Clinton praised the role Peres played in Middle East peacemaking and implored Israel to keep pushing for an accord with the Palestinians.

Other guests included former South African President and fellow Nobel laureate F.W. de Klerk and leaders past and present of countries from Austria to Australia. Also on hand were a host of Palestinian politicians -- a rarity these days in Tel Aviv.

Source: Agencies

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