June 14, 2007 / 28 Sivan 5767
Dear Mr. Peres,
Your election today as the Ninth President of the State of Israel makes this a day of great satisfaction, happiness and pride for the State of Israel as well as for the Jewish People in the Diaspora.
Your election is the closing of a circle of more than 70 years of dedication to Israel and the Jewish People. Your life story – as one who made aliyah as a boy, studied in the Ben Shemen agricultural school, helped found Kibbutz Alumot, served as secretary-general of the Noar Ha’oved movement, was active together with David Ben Gurion and Levy Eshkol in the Haganah before the establishment of the state, and since 1948 filled many positions in the state’s leadership including Prime Minister and Minister of Defense – your story clearly mirrors the rebirth of the State of Israel as well as the country’s achievements over the past 59 years.
The status, prestige and fame that accompany you in the international arena and in the Jewish world are a prime asset which you bring today to the President’s Residence, together with your vision, imaginativeness, creativity and original thinking regarding the future of the State of Israel as it strives for peace with its neighbors and its rightful place among the advanced nations of the world.
On behalf of your friends in the Jewish Agency and World Zionist Organization in Israel and around the world, I am proud to send you our sincere congratulations on your election to the presidency and wish you success in realizing the challenges of increasing the unity among all sectors of Israeli society and deepening the connection between the State of Israel and the Jewish People in the Diaspora.
The partnership which we have woven over the last few years in many areas, especially in the joint mission of developing national priority areas – the Galilee, Negev and Jerusalem – is for us a source of pride, and we are sure that you will see us as a bridge between the Jewish world and the State of Israel and as partners in the challenges you will be facing in the future.