President Shimon Peres is to be awarded the U.S.s highest civilian honor: the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Peres, 89, learned of the honor at this years American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference, where he was also given a laudatory biographical video. U.S. President Barack Obama described the prize, which will be presented later this year, as a testament to the friendship between Israel and the U.S. In many ways, this award is a symbol of the broader ties that bind our nations, Obama told the AIPAC plenary. The United States and Israel share interests, but we also share those human values that Shimon spoke about: a commitment to human dignity; a belief that freedom is a right that is given to all of Gods children; an experience that shows us that democracy is the one and only form of government that can truly respond to the aspirations of citizens. Peres responded by saying, This is a great honor for me and the state of Israel. All of my actions in the past and the present are for the benefit of the citizens of Israel; from my point of view, this medal is for them. But much more than the medal, I was moved by President Obamas speech. This was the most pro-Israel speech that I have ever heard from an American president. Peres is the second Israeli in history to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Current head of the Jewish Agency Natan Sharansky received the award from former President George W. Bush in 2006. In addition to both their speeches at the conference, Peres and Obama also met for a policy work meeting in which they discussed, among other issues, preventing Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon.
