No Room For Small Dreams

In 1934, eleven-year-old Shimon Peres emigrated to the land of Israel from his native Poland, leaving behind an extended family who would later be murdered in the Holocaust. Few back then would have predicted that this young man would eventually become one of the towering figures of the twentieth century. Peres would go on to serve the new nation as prime minister, president, foreign minister, and the head of several other ministries. He was central to the establishment of the Israeli Defense Forces and the defence industry that would provide the young nation with a robust deterrent power. He was crucial to launching Israel`s nuclear energy programme and to the creation of its high-tech "Start Up Nation" revolution. His refusal to surrender to conventional wisdom and political conventions helped save the Israeli economy and prompted some of the most daring military operations in history, among them the legendary Operation Entebbe. And yet, as important as his role in creating and deploying Israel`s armed forces was, his stunning transition from hawk to dove - with its accompanying unwavering commitment to peace - made him one of the globe`s most recognised, honored and admired statesmen.