Shimon Peres organized the first Israeli delegation to Seeds of Peace in 1993 and was the organization’s first honoree. He spoke at the Middle East Youth Summit in Villars, Switzerland in May of 1998 along with Queen Noor and Dr. Sa’eb Erekat.
Following his visit to the Summit, Shimon Peres wrote a letter to Seeds of Peace and its young leaders:
“The success of this meeting represents an accomplishment for us all, an achievement for all those who live in the region and will continue to reside here in the years to come. Your determination and tenacity of purpose are truly commendable, and for this I hold you in deep esteem. I greatly enjoyed the interaction I had with the youth I met. The questions they posed were pertinent and fundamental, and if these young people represent the next generation here, then I can only be but even more optimistic regarding the future, and your contribution in this respect is significant.”
Peres’ work towards peace in the Middle East has earned him a Nobel Prize in 1994.