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Peres on the Iron Throne

He may not be king, but the former president gets the royal treatment

By Jessica Steinberg
  • Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
 2 April 2015, 7:42 pm
Shimon Peres sits in the Iron Throne of the famed series 'Game of Thrones,' with British Ambassador Matthew Gould on his right, YES CEO Ron Eilon (left) and 17-year old Ben Yuval, an avid fan of the series, who is suffering from a hematological disease and was hosted by Lehoshit Yad Association (Courtesy YES)

Is there any Israeli more fitting than Shimon Peres to sit on the sacred Iron Throne?

The country’s former president was on hand Thursday to open “Game of Thrones: The Exhibit” in Tel Aviv, along with British ambassador Matthew Gould.

Accompanied by Ron Eilon, CEO of Yes, which broadcasts the wildly popular American fantasy drama series, the exhibit’s curator, Elana Loewenthal, guided Peres and Gould through the exhibit, which includes costumes, accessories and props from the HBO series.

It wasn’t the first time a world leader got to sit on the Iron Throne. Peres was preceded by Queen Elizabeth II, who visited the set of the show in Belfast, Ireland, and revealed that she is a big fan of the show.

It was unclear whether Peres was as familiar with the show, currently in its fifth season.

But when seated the throne, which, in the show, is allegedly forged from 1,000 swords, Peres had this to say:

“The Passover holiday exemplifies that we knew how to release ourselves from the tyranny of foreign thrones and liberate ourselves from slavery to freedom. Although in Game of Thrones there are many sword fights and beheadings, in the real world it is the duty of leaders to seek any way towards peace.”

The exhibit, which is located at the Tel Aviv Port, opens Sunday, April 5. 

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