
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas entered Israel for the first time in six years today and shook Benjamin Netanyahu's hand in the defining moment of Shimon Peres' funeral.

US President Barack Obama also used his eulogy to call for an end to hostilities and said Mr Abass's decision to visit Jerusalem was 'a gesture and a reminder of the unfinished business of peace.'

Mr Peres, who helped set up the post-war Israeli state, died on Wednesday aged 93, two weeks after a major stroke.

The statesman was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1994 with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for signing the Oslo Accord in the hope a two-state solution would bring peace to the region.

Today the country's two leaders shook hands and Mr Abbas said: 'It's been a long long time' - the Israeli Prime Minister responded: 'It's something that I appreciate very much on behalf of our people and on behalf of us.'

It came as an emotional Bill Clinton paid tribute to Mr Peres, one of the founding fathers of modern Israel, calling him a 'wise champion of humanity'.

The former US president gripped his coffin and looked close to tears as he joined 70 world leaders and royals including Tony Blair, Prince Charles and King Felipe of Spain who all wore a Jewish skullcap at the ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

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Symbol of hope: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (left) is also at the funeral - his first visit to Israel since 2010 - and shook Benjamin Netanyahu's hand saying it had been a 'long long time'

Plea: US President Barack Obama eulogises former Israeli President Shimon Peres, comparing him to Nelson Mandela, the Queen and other great figures of the 20th century - and hoped his funeral could kickstart a peace process

The former US president, pictured here touching the coffin, joined 70 world leaders and royals including Barack Obama, Tony Blair, Prince Charles and King Felipe of Spain at the ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem

Emotional: Bill Clinton looked close to tears as he said farewell to his friend, former Israeli President Shimon Peres

Poignant: The grandchildren of Shimon Peres lay a wreath on the grave of their grandfather during the burial ceremony as a President Obama looks on and smile ruefully

Prince Charles represented the royal family at the funeral - and smiled at an anecdote during the ceremony

Heartbroken: Tsvia, the daughter of former Israeli President Shimon Peres is comforted by her family as she mourns during her father's funeral

Former leaders: David Cameron and Tony Blair sat together and posed for this pictured during today's funeral

A meeting between the Abbas and Netanyahu is extremely rare - they have not held face-to-face talks since 2010 - but the gesture will raise hopes of new negotiations.

But Mr Abbas' decision has led to some criticism in the Arab world, with some branding him a 'sellout' and a 'wolf in sheep's clothing' for shaking hands with a president who was bombing the Gaza Strip for days in May.

Shimon Peres's daughter Tzvika Walden, who broke down during the funeral, made mourners laugh with anecdotes about the father she loved so dearly

The funeral was Jerusalem's biggest security operation for at least two decades with 8,000 police and soldiers lining the streets as the country's former prime minister was laid to rest.

On the streets of Jerusalem, as pedestrians were held up at cordons as VIPs left, members of the public were discussing Peres' legacy. 'Maybe the dream of peace went with him,' said Tanya Sindorf, 42, as she rocked her baby. 'If he couldn't succeed, I'm wondering if others can.'

Tami Kadira, 30, took the opposite view, seeing the fact that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attended as a sign of hope. 'Abbas came, so maybe people will say that we have a partner for peace.'

In a eulogy to the former Israeli president in Jerusalem Friday, Clinton called Peres a 'wise champion of our common humanity.'

Describing a meeting where Israeli and Arab children together sang John Lennon's 'Imagine', he said: 'He imagined all the things the rest of us could do. He started life as Israel's brightest student, became its best teacher and ended up its biggest dreamer'.

'He lived 93 years in a state of constant wonder over the unbelievable potential of all the rest of us to rise above our wounds, our resentments, our fears to make the most of today and claim the promise of tomorrow'.

He said: 'I am honoured the family asked me to tell what he meant to someone who is not a citizen of this country I love so much, but who was nevertheless blessed and inspired. And I think in many ways is representative of millions more he touched though he never met.

'Israel watched him grow from a young genius doing his best to create undefeatable defence forces to a long life to become a wise champion of our common humanity. Someone who wanted the best for our children. Yes the Israeli children but the children of his neighbours and the larger world'.

He will be buried next to his so-called 'partner in peace' Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by a Jewish nationalist in 1995.

Eight thousand officers are on duty as US President Barack Obama, French President Francois Hollande, German President Joachim Gauck and Prince Charles attending.

The main road into Jerusalem is closed off to the public for the hours immediately before and after the state funeral, which is taking place at the Mount Herzl national cemetery.

President Barack Obama flew into Israel this morning to pay his respects to Shimon Peres, the former leader whose six decades of work shaping this tiny nation into a powerful and industrious force generated tremendous respect from Obama.

He said he reminded him of 'giants of the 20th century' like Nelson Mandela in his eulogy for the Nobel Peace Prize winner in Jerusalem on Friday.

Afterwards he hugged Mr Peres' family and other dignitaries but only shook the hand of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The pair are understood to have a strained relationship.

Earlier Mr Netanyahu hailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres as a 'great man of the world' on Friday as he eulogised the man who was once his political rival at his funeral.

'Shimon lived a life of purpose,' Netanyahu told world leaders and other mourners gathered at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl cemetery.

'He soared to incredible heights. He was a great man of Israel; he was a great man of the world. Israel grieves for him, the world grieves for him, but we find hope in his legacy, as does the world.'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bows his head and observes a moment of silence after laying a wreath near the grave of Shimon Peres

Salute: Guards place the coffin of former Israeli President Shimon Peres on a podium for his funeral

Poignant: Knesset guards carry the flag-draped coffin during the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Mount Herzel national cemetery in Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands before the coffin after saying: 'He was a great man of Israel; he was a great man of the world'

Respect: Outgoing US President Obama was also joined by former president Bill Clinton at Mount Herzl Cemetery

Laying hands: Israel's President Reuven Rivlin pays his respects at the flag-draped coffin of Shimon Peres

Tributes: U.S. President Barack Obama speeches next to the flag-draped coffin of former Israeli President Shimon Peres during his funeral at the Mount Herzel national cemetery

Close: The US President stood with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hugged Chemi Peres, the son of former Israeli president and Nobel Peace Prize winner

Anglo-French meeting: Prince Charles, left, greets French President Francois Hollande seriously at the start of today's funeral

VIPs: Prince Charles and Tony Blair both flew into Tel Aviv in private jets ahead of the funeral in Jerusale

His daughter Tzvika Walden, who broke down during the funeral, made mourners laugh with anecdotes about the father she loved so dearly.

President Obama comforts relatives of former Israeli President and Prime minister Shimon Peres, who he said reminded him of 'giants of the 20th century' like Nelson Mandela

She said: 'He was described as a great negotiator, as someone who always found a way to get what he wanted. To me he was young man who used his creative skills to get us to eat, who cut sandwiches in to triangles and diamonds.

'He would say: 'Try this, it's a Burmese sandwich' My father pulled out all the creative stops, and used every trick of the trade to tempt us to open our mouths, eat and grow.'

She added: 'In the eyes of the public he will be remembered as one who dined with kings. I remember him at the table of a French restaurant, when he whispered in my ear: 'This tastes good but it's nothing compared to your mum's salad.' To him, Israeli cucumbers and tomatoes were the finest delicacies'.

Mr Peres was known for his sense of humour and recently appeared in a film made by his daughter where he was working in a petrol station on the pumps.

Son Yoni said that when asked what he would like written on his grave, Mr Peres answered without hesitation that he 'was too young to die'.

Earlier, a military honour guard took Mr Peres' casket from the parliament building and escorted it, with his family, to a vehicle. The guard recited Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead.

The casket will make the short journey to Mount Herzl, Israel's national cemetery, where Mr Peres is to be buried alongside most of the country's past leaders.

The funeral took place on Mount Herzl, where Peres is buried alongside other Israeli leaders - but far from the more private grave of his wife Sonia, who died in 2011.

Mourners came from all of Israel's communities: rabbis in black coats, leaders of Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia holding ceremonial colourful umbrellas, Imams dressed in white, and representatives from churches.

The singer David D'or reduced many of the people gathered, Israelis and foreign visitors alike, to tears when he sang one of Peres' favourites - 'Our Father, Our King,' in Hebrew.

Israeli President Rivlan gave an emotional tribute after touching his coffin.

Mr Rivlin said to Mr Peres: 'You were not only a man of vision, you were a man of deeds.'

The former leader, who succeeded him as president in 2014, said Mr Peres had the ability 'to conceive what seemed to be the inconceivable, and see it to fruition'.

He said: 'You strived until your final breaths to reach the pinnacle of the Zionist dream: an independent, sovereign state, existing in peace with our neighbours.

'Yet you also knew that true peace could only be achieved from a position of strength, and you were sure to secure the path to this goal.'

British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said afterwards: 'The eulogies encapsulated the depth of Peres as an statesman who was respected internationally and as a family man. It shows that you can be a great statesman and a great father and grandfather.

'We saw at the cemetery the depth of feeling for this man'.

ABBAS AND NETANYAHU'S HISTORIC HANDSHAKE - BUT IS IT ANOTHER FALSE DAWN? 2016: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara speak to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas - the leaders have not help face-to-face talks since 2010 Today's symbolic gesture by Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu could be a step towards reconciliation. The leaders have been at loggerheads for years and recently Abbas accused Israel of ‘ethnic cleansing’ after Netanyahu made the same allegation over Palestinians wanting a ‘Jew-free state’ in the West Bank. The men met briefly last year at a NATO meeting - but they did not speak and have not held face to face talks since 2010. But today world leaders including President Obama were piling on pressure to try to find a way forward. The first major breakthrough - and handshake - came in 1979 at Camp David, the US President's ranch, and involved an agreement with Egypt and set up a framework to 'solve the Palestinian problem'. A famous image showed Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands in front of a delighted Jimmy Carter. Israel would leave Sinai - but President Sadat was assassinated and Israel and Palestine continued their feud. Politically the Palestine Liberation Organisation kept the country out in the cold until 1993, when the most historic handshake between the country's leaders was also one of the hesitant. And with it, Israel and its sworn enemy the PLO set the course for peace in the Middle East that sadly never became permanent. 1979: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands in front of a delighted Jimmy Carter in a deal also aimed at solving the Palestinian problem 1993: The handshake that made history. Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin and his old enemy Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Yasser Arafat set the seal the White House after decades of a bitter blood feud. This was the moment no one had dared hope for, orchestrated for a worldwide TV audience by then President Clinton on the South Lawn of the White House. At his right hand was Israeli premier Yitzhak Rabin, 71, a former general in the 1967 Six Day War when Israel grabbed the occupied territories, including Gaza and the West Bank, from the Arabs. To his left was Yasser Arafat, 64, mastermind of a long terrorist war against Israel. Once bitter enemies, they were risking their political lives on an agreement giving Palestinians self-rule in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho in return for official recognition of the Jewish state. Rabin, consumed by years of hatred, needed gentle persuasion from the President to take Arafat's hand and give the briefest of shakes. A year later the men would win the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Shimon Peres for his role in negotiating the Oslo accords, which envisioned an independent Palestinian state. Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish settler angered by the Oslo peace accords they had agreed. In 2001 Mr Peres further strengthened relations by shaking Mr Arafat's hand - but in recent years the two countries have returned to conflict. 2001: Shimon Peres is pictured (left) shaking hands with the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2001. Peres, Arafat and the third Nobel Peace Prize winner Yitzhak Rabin are all now dead. Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish settler angered by the Oslo peace accords they had agreed Advertisement

Bereft: Family members of former Israeli President Shimon Peres walk behind his flag-draped coffin during a ceremony at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament

Laid to rest: Members of the Knesset guard carry the flag-draped coffin of former Israeli President Shimon Peres, during a ceremony at the Israeli Parliament, before it is transported to Mount Herzl Cemetery ahead of his funeral in Jerusalem

Respected: Mr Peres helped set up the post-war Israeli state and was later awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1994

Final journey: Mr Peres' body starts from the Knesset, Israel's parliament, to a plot in Israel's most famous cemetery

Moving: Mr Peres' famaily hold eachother as they follow the statesman's coffin on its journey to his final resting place

Cast list: The event was by world leaders and royalty including Barack Obama, pictured arriving in Israel today, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Prince Charles and King Felipe of Spain

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, left with his security entourage, arrives for the funeral of former Israeli president and Nobel Peace Prize winner

U.S. President Barack Obama is greeted by Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold - former French president Nicolas Sarkozy also attended

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson was followed into the funeral by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L), Mexican President Enrique PeÒa Nieto (2nd L) and Spanish King Felipe VI (far right) speak

CAST LIST OF WORLD LEADERS ATTENDING TODAY'S FUNERAL US President Barack Obama US Secretary of State John Kerry Former US president Bill Clinton Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Prince Charles of Great Britain British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas French President Francois Hollande German President Joachim Gauck Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau King Felipe VI of Spain Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte European Union foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini European Council President Donald Tusk UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process Nikolai Mladenov Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry Advertisement

Peres served stints as prime minister, president and foreign minister during his lengthy political career. He welcomed Obama on his first trip to Israel as president back in 2013 as the two men sought to start a peace process with the Palestinians that has so far failed.

The United States delegation includes former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State John Kerry and about 20 members of Congress and several administration officials.

Air Force One landed in Tel Aviv early Friday morning and Obama was then driven to Jerusalem's Mount Herzl cemetery. This is Obama's second trip to Israel as president and he is expected to return home shortly after the service ends.

The two leaders enjoyed a friendly relationship and a mutual admiration of the other's intellect and intentions. Upon his passing, Obama said no one did more over the years than Peres to build the alliance between the U.S. and Israel.

It is the largest such gathering in Israel since the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated by a Jewish nationalist in 1995.

Peres died on Wednesday from complications following a stroke. He was 93.

Former US President Bill Clinton has joined Israeli leaders and crowds of mourners paying their respects to former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres, whose body is lying in state ahead of his funeral today.

Mr Clinton joined Israel's President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein and opposition leader Isaac Herzog lay wreaths beside Peres's flag-draped coffin at a plaza outside parliament this morning, where it will remain until 9pm.

None of the leaders said a word in the solemn, silent ceremony.

Enhanced security is in in place throughout, with 8,000 officers taking part in the operation, police said.

The Shin Bet internal security service also deployed hundreds of officers, some of them under cover.

'This operation consists of police preparations held in a short time,' Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said in a statement after carrying out an assessment.

'We are in a sensitive period, including terrorist threats,' he added, saying officers were on 'high alert'.

The funeral is taking place on a Friday, part of the weekend in Israel, and ahead of the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah, beginning Sunday evening.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, run by Islamist movement Hamas, were also calling for demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the start of the second intifada in 2000.

The Israel Airports Authority said they were expecting 750 takeoffs and landings in a 24-hour period, compared to an average of around 400.

'When you are doing an operation with these people from oversees, from Prince Charles to Obama, it is a huge operation in security,' a spokesman said.

Ofer Zalzberg, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group think-tank, said security forces had likely been working on plans since Peres had a stroke on September 13.

Peres died at a hospital in Tel Aviv on Wednesday aged 93 after suffering a major stroke.

In a career spanning seven decades, he held nearly every major office, serving twice as prime minister and as president from 2007 to 2014.

He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo accords, which envisioned an independent Palestinian state.

Thousands gathered to pay their respects as Israel's former Prime Minister and President Shimon Peres lay in state outside parliament (pictured)

People line up to pay respects to former Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Knesset plaza in Jerusalem