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Stars of politics and film attend birthday dinner for Peres

Israel Materials 19 June 2013 02:38 (UTC +04:00)
More than 3,000 guests, including prominent politicians and Hollywood stars, turned out Tuesday for a gala dinner held in honour of Israeli President Shimon Peres, who will turn 90 in August, dpa reported.
Stars of politics and film attend birthday dinner for Peres

More than 3,000 guests, including prominent politicians and Hollywood stars, turned out Tuesday for a gala dinner held in honour of Israeli President Shimon Peres, who will turn 90 in August, dpa reported.

"We have our queen, you have your Shimon," said former British prime minister Tony Blair as the celebration got under way Tuesday evening in Jerusalem. Former US president Bill Clinton, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Prince Albert II of Monaco also attended the event.

Hollywood stars Robert de Niro, Sharon Stone and Barbra Streisand and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich also appeared at the event recognizing Peres, the oldest serving head-of-state in the world. He will be 90 on August 2.

One invited guest, however, stayed away. British physicist Stephen Hawking declined to attend the conference because of pressure from pro-Palestinian activists.

Hawking's decision was criticized by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League, which said the boycott campaign relied on "an abhorrent and false comparison of Israeli democracy to Apartheid."

The gala kicked off the fifth Israeli Presidential Conference. During the conference, which is held annually, politicians, executives and scientists discuss questions about the future.

Speaking Monday in Rehovot south of Tel Aviv, Clinton called Peres a great visionary who has played an important role in the Mideast peace process.

Peres, a Nobel peace prize laureate, last month called for reviving the long-stalled Mideast peace process, warning of a "great disappointment" should Israelis and Palestinians fail to return to the negotiating table.

"The time for peace is now ... I do believe it is a real opportunity," Peres said May 26 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on the Jordanian shores of the Dead Sea.

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