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Israeli President Isaac Herzog attended a memorial ceremony for Shimon Peres at Mount Herzl and commented on the late leader’s approach to statesmanship.

Highlighting one of the most distinctive features of Peres’ leadership vision, Herzog said: “At Mount Herzl, at the memorial ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of the death of the late ninth president Shimon Peres, I remembered one of the qualities that characterized him most: the ability to lift his gaze and look far ahead.”

Recalling Shimon Peres’ refusal to surrender to the existing situation, Herzog said: “Peres refused to accept the limits of what seemed possible at the time and insisted on not surrendering to reality as it is, but imagining what it could become.”

Referring to the current political climate and the election process, Herzog said: “Especially during an election period, it seems we need this ability — to lift our heads above the turbulent present, look beyond the horizon, remember that we all have the right to be different, and believe that even a reality that seems impossible today can become the tomorrow of the State of Israel.”