Israellycool

Shimon Peres has received an honorary knighthood from the Queen despite earlier reports suggesting otherwise. That makes the President of the Jewish state Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG).

According to the Ha’aretz report titled Arise Sir Shimon: Peres receives honorary knighthood from Britain’s Queen, Peres will not be able to use the title “sir,” as he is not a British national.

Meanwhile, here is a photo of Peres meeting the queen.

“Keep your distance, Mr Peres. I’ve been warned about you.”

Is it just me, or does this scene look similar to the one depicted in the background painting?

Do you recall the recent speculation about Israeli President Shimon Peres being knighted?

How is it going, I hear you ask?

About as well as his Club Med Gaza idea. But thanks for asking.

The Queen has been drawn into an embarrassing diplomatic wrangle with Israel after Britain snubbed efforts to have the Jewish state’s President Shimon Peres knighted.

She will meet Mr Peres, the architect of several stalled Middle East peace plans, when he begins a three-day official visit to Britain on November 18.

But the Queen, on the advice of ministers, has rejected efforts by Israeli diplomats to secure an honorary knighthood for Mr Peres.

“It’s not going to happen. There is no knighthood,” a British official told the Express.co.uk, only hours after Israeli diplomats indicated it was something that was still under discussion.

The 82-year-old monarch was dragged into the controversy after Israeli officials breached protocol by leaking early discussions about the knighthood to their media, perhaps in an attempt to force the issue.

Reports in Israel said the Queen would make Mr Peres an honorary knight commander of the Order of St Michael and St George for his contribution to the Middle East peace process and to improve British-Israeli ties. Foreigners can be made knights but are not allowed to use the prefix Sir.

Israeli officials breaching official protocol and leaking discussions to the media? I couldn’t see that coming.

But seriously, there seems something wrong about having the President of the Jewish state an honorary knight commander of the Order of some saints.

Perhaps the British can think of bestowing on Peres some other kind of knighthood. Like honorary knight commander of the Order of Big Ears or honorary knight commander of the Order of Lord Tampon.

(hat tip: Jameel)

Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, kisses CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour during to the 10th anniversary celebration of the Peres Center for Peace in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. The Peres Center for Peace was founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres, now Israel’s president, to encourage economic and grass-roots cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.

Which goes to show that Shimon Peres will pretty much kiss anything.

So to speak.

Queen Elizabeth II is expected to bestow an unusual honor on President Shimon Peres in a few weeks, and name him a knight in her order.

Peres is to be awarded the title, regarded as the United Kingdom’s highest honor, for his contribution to world peace and the relationship between Israel and the UK.

Peres is expected to leave for an official presidential visit in Britain on November 18. When in London, he is slated to meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

The highlight of Peres’ visit will be a speech before both houses of the British Parliament – the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Peres is also scheduled to visit Oxford University and speak before 1,000 of its students. The president will also meet with heads of the British Academia and urge them to lift the unofficial academic ban placed on Israeli institutions.

The next stop on the tour will be the City of London, where he will usher the London Stock Exchange’s trading day.

Once officially titled “Sir”, Peres will join an exclusive list of modern world figures the like of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, former US President Ronald Regan, U2’s lead singer Bono and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Oh Lord.

Update: Oops!

Efforts to have President Shimon Peres “knighted” during a visit to London next month may have been set back by premature publication of the move, Foreign Ministry sources said Thursday.
President Shimon Peres.

Yediot Aharonot, under a headline “Sir Peres,” reported Wednesday that Peres was expected to be appointed an honorary knight by Queen Elizabeth II in appreciation of his contribution to peace efforts in the Middle East and to furthering Israeli-British ties.

While admitting that the embassy in London was working on the issue, the sources said that revealing these efforts prematurely could lead anti-Israeli forces in Britain to try to scuttle the idea.

..comes from Shimon “Club Med Gaza” Peres, who thought it was a good idea to invite terror-supporter Yusuf Islam (the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens) to Israel to perform at an event marking the 10th anniversary of his Center for Peace.

The Center, which is currently in the midst of the last preparations for the celebration, invited Stevens to take part in the central event. The singer was enthusiastic and even asked to add words in support of peace between Israel and the Palestinians to the song “Peace Train” which he was slated to perform.

“The truth is that he was afraid and asked if they would let him enter the country this time,” said the show’s producer Irit Tenhangel. “I calmed him down and told him there was no problem because, after all, he had received a personal invitation from (President Shimon) Peres and was coming here for purposes of peace.

“But several days later, the Center’s director, Uri Savir, told me it was unequivocally impossible, as this visit could cause too much of a mess, and that they decided to call it off for security reasons.

“This put me in a very embarrassing situation with Stevens and his personal manager. What am I supposed to tell them now, that the State of Israel doesn’t want him to come and talk about peace voluntarily?”

In all fairness to Peres, he is ably assisted by people with similar idiot-syncracies.

The last time Stevens was denied entry to the Jewish state, the Interior Ministry had said that “Stevens is transferring donations and funds to Islamic elements which are hostile to Israel.”

At the time Stevens did not deny the allegation, but today, Tenhangel says, the situation is different.

“All this was 10 years ago. Time has passed and things have changed. I watched a documentary film about him not so long ago, and the man is a great peace activist now.

“He may have supported Hamas once, but the fact that a singer who converted to Islam wants to come to Israel and express his support for peace and we’re not letting him do so infuriates me,” she adds.

Ahh, a documentary film told you. Why didn’t you say so?

Meanwhile, Peres has revealed a previously unknown skill.

The musicians who were authorized by the Israeli defense establishment and will take part in the event include Argentine singer Mecedes Sosa and Italian operatic pop tenor Andrea Bocelli, who will perform a song written by Peres for the first time.

Quick, somebody tell Anis.

Israeli President Shimon Peres gives Yasser Arafat a run for his money when it comes to Fonz impersonations.

“Heyyyy”

Update: Another great Peres picture from today:

Another reader-inspired one for you (you guys are getting good at this).

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Thanks to Shaul.

Israeli President Shimon “Cosmo” Peres shows US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi his legendary charm.

“Don’t be alarmed. I’m not that Israeli President.”

Nicole Kidman has made a public stand against terrorism - and accepted a high-level offer to visit Israel.

The actress was joined by 84 other Hollywood stars, directors and studio bosses yesterday in a powerfully-worded full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times newspaper.

It specifically targeted “terrorist organisations” such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine.

“We the undersigned are pained and devastated by the civilian casualties in Israel and Lebanon caused by terrorist actions initiated by terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas,” the ad read. “If we do not succeed in stopping terrorism around the world, chaos will rule and innocent people will continue to die.

“We need to support democratic societies and stop terrorism at all costs.”

The ad was also signed by celebrities including Michael Douglas, Dennis Hopper, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Danny De Vito, Don Johnson, William Hurt and Ridley Scott plus News Corporation chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch and Paramount Pictures chairman Sumner Redstone.

News Corporation is the parent company of News Limited, publisher of The Daily Telegraph.

And who did it take to “recruit” Nicole? The very person you would expect to entice a beautiful Hollywood starlet to Israel.

It also emerged yesterday that Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres had persuaded Kidman to visit Israel.

The pair met at a conference held by Mr Murdoch in California last month.

“We will be happy to have you,” Mr Peres told Kidman. “Maybe you can be tourism ambassador to the Galilee.”

Kidman asked Mr Peres about the country’s prospects for the future.

“We will come out stronger from this conflict (with Hezbollah),” he said.

I guess things did not work out with Sharon.

At the Tel Aviv Press Conference, Shimon Peres gazed longingly at Hollywood actress Sharon Stone, invited to Israel as a guest of the Peres Center for Picking Up Beautiful Hollywood Actresses Peace.

Sharon Stone: “I had a dream that I would arrive in this country.”
Shimon Peres: And I have a dream right now - ooooh behave, Shimon!

Later on in the day..

Shimon Peres: “Your’e a natural with kids. Fancy some of your own?”
Sharon Stone: “Even if I did, I think the biological clock may have other ideas.”
Shimon Peres: “Don’t underestimate my container of blue pills.”

Update: You can read more about Sharon Stone’s trip to Israel here:
Jerusalem Post
Ynet (includes video)

Actually, if you watch the video footage, Stone comes across as very articulate and spunky. And she clearly has a sense of humor.

“People are just sitting there going, like, ‘I don’t care what she’s saying. I don’t care what she’s saying. I just want to know is she getting naked? Is she getting naked in that movie? Is she naked? Nude? Nude? Naked? Do I see her boobies?’ So let’s just get through to that. Yes! And now that I’ve cleared that up, let’s just go to the next question, because nobody cares about anything else, really.”

Update: I wonder if she will be catching up with Silvan.