Why is Israeli President Shimon Peres getting the US Medal of Freedom?
Why is Israeli President Shimon Peres receiving the US Presidential Medal of Freedom? In asking this, we鈥檙e not questioning whether Mr. Peres deserves accolades for his lengthy Mideast career. He鈥檚 already won the Nobel Peace Prize, after all. We鈥檙e wondering about the propriety of giving America鈥檚 highest civilian award to a foreign leader. Is that a common occurrence?
Well, it turns out it doesn鈥檛 happen every year, but it鈥檚 not exactly a rare thing. American presidents have bestowed the Medal of Freedom on at least 16 foreign heads of state or of government. Past notable winners include Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat (awarded posthumously in 1984), Britain鈥檚 Margaret Thatcher (1991), South Africa鈥檚 Nelson Mandela (2002), Czech leader Vaclav Havel (2003), and Germany鈥檚 Angela Merkel (2011).
The US Presidential Medal of Freedom is not meant to recognize service to the US, per se. Under in 1963, those eligible for the Medal of Freedom include 鈥渁ny person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.鈥�
As we鈥檝e noted before, the bottom line of those criteria is that the medal can go to pretty much anyone who鈥檚 accomplished anything the US president likes.
Peres in particular is one of Israel鈥檚 founding leaders, and as such his award is meant to celebrate the ties between the two nations as well as his individual contributions.
Of course, Israel isn鈥檛 popular with everybody in the US, so Peres鈥� award has engendered some controversy. Comedian/activist Roseanne Barr, for instance, added one word, 鈥減rotest,鈥澛� of an announcement of tonight鈥檚 ceremony.
But two-time Israeli Prime Minister Peres, now 88, has evolved into something of a Mideast elder statesman. As Israeli president 鈥� a largely ceremonial post 鈥� he has become more popular in his home country than he was when he held more powerful political posts.
And he鈥檚 not coming to the White House empty-handed. According to , he鈥檚 bringing gifts: a letter from Israel鈥檚 first president, Chaim Weizmann, urging President Harry Truman to recognize Israel; a letter from President Truman to Israel doing just that; and a letter back to Truman from Israel鈥檚 first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, thanking him for that recognition.
