Vice President Joe Biden appeared to inject politics into a memorial service for Shimon Peres with a thinly veiled reference to Donald Trump that stood out in his otherwise somber and glowing tribute to the former Israeli leader.
In remarks filled with warm and personal memories of their 40-year friendship, Biden appeared to contrast Peres’ optimistic spirit with the politics of fear that critics associate with Trump.
“At a time when it’s too easy to be cynical, a time when the currents of bigotry and isolationism are on the rise, when too many are quick to cast blame on the outsider and the other, when the promise of peace might feel like a distant thing,” Biden said, “it’s my sincere hope that each of us continues to hold Shimon’s memory very close.”
Biden cast Peres as a portrait of optimism who pursued peace and hope despite all of the thwarted peace talks and tragedy and violence he witnessed.
“Through his life, at every moment, Shimon Peres was the voice of hope — he remained certain [about it] until the day he died,” Biden said.
Biden remembered Peres as a remarkable man who insisted on focusing on the possibility of peace with Palestinians despite decades of failed talks and summits.
“Rather than stoke fear and hatred, he always affirmed friendship and peace and possibilities,” Biden said.
That firm belief, Biden said, helped him connect to Americans. “That was the connection between Peres and us — it was always about possibilities, not the past,” he said.
