Netanyahu describes ‘powerful’ bond with Peres

Netanyahu says it’s “no secret we were political rivals,” but says in Peres’s later years the two became friends.

Netanyahu says he first encountered Peres’s “fervor” in action 40 years ago at Mount Herzl, at the funeral of his brother, Yoni Netanyahu, killed during the Entebbe raid.

The prime minister says he’ll never forget Peres’s eulogy.

“It was the first time I met him,” he says. “My parents, may they rest in peace, my brother and I, were deeply moved by his words on Yoni, on the operation, on the connection to our forefathers… and at the moment, we had a powerful connection that was never severed.”

He says the two sparred over whether security will precede peace or vice versa.

“He came from left, I from right. I came from the right, he came back from the left.”

“Do you know what surprising conclusion I came to? We were both right.”

“Power is a means” to achieve peace, he says.