Tight security as leaders gather for Peres funeral

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (left), former US president Bill Clinton (center) and speaker of the Knesset Yuli-Yoel Edelstein (third left) talk as they pay their respects next to the coffin of former Israeli president Shimon Peres at a plaza outside the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, on September 29, 2016 in Jerusalem. PHOTO | AFP

By  AFP

What you need to know:

  • In a rare visit to Jerusalem, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is also expected to attend the funeral for Nobel Peace Prize winner Peres, who died Wednesday at 93 two weeks after a major stroke.
  • The Israel Airports Authority said they were expecting 750 takeoffs and landings in a 24-hour period, compared to an average of around 400.

JERUSALEM

Israeli security forces were on high alert with world leaders set to gather for the funeral of former president Shimon Peres on Friday, deploying thousands of officers and closing off key roads.

US President Barack Obama, French President Francois Hollande, German President Joachim Gauck and Britain’s Prince Charles are among those attending, with most arriving at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and travelling the 40 minutes by road to Jerusalem.

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In a rare visit to Jerusalem, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is also expected to attend the funeral for Nobel Peace Prize winner Peres, who died Wednesday aged 93, two weeks after a major stroke.

The main road into Jerusalem will be 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.

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

The Shin Bet internal security service will also deploy hundreds of officers, some of them under cover, a statement said.

“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.

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