President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent their condolences on Sunday to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose mother died on Friday. Tenzile Erdogan, who was 83, died in the hospital days after undergoing gallbladder surgery. In their first formal communication since Turkey downgraded ties with Israel and expelled the Israeli ambassador in September, Peres wrote a letter to Erdogan. "Word of your beloved mother's passing was received with great sadness. From personal experience I know the deep grief accompanying the feeling of being orphaned and the boundless sorrow that comes with it. Please accept my condolences and empathy for this dark time," Peres wrote. Peres' gesture of humility comes after Turkish representatives repeatedly walked during or just before his speeches at several international forums: In the U.N. the foreign minister walked out just as Peres took the podium, the week before the Turkish European affairs minister walked out on Peres, and two years before that Erdogan himself walked out in the middle of a debate with Peres at the Davos Conference. Netanyahu sent his letter of condolence through the proper diplomatic channels, according to the Prime Minister's Office. The state-run Anatolia news agency said U.S. President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Syrian President Bashar Assad are also among leaders that have expressed condolences. Meanwhile, thousands of people attended Tenzile Erdogan's funeral on Saturday, according to the Turkish Dogan news agency. Erdogan helped carry the coffin along with President Abudullah Gul and was seen weeping. Dogan reported thousands of people filling the courtyard and spilling into the nearby street of an Istanbul mosque where funeral prayers were held.
Peres sends letter of condolence to Erdogan after mother's death
Peres expresses sympathy after Erdogan's mother dies • Peres: "I know the deep grief accompanying the feeling of being orphaned and the boundless sorrow that comes with it" • Reports claim thousands attend funeral.
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