Peres pays condolences to family of IDF soldier

President visits family of Brigade soldier Gavriel (Gal) Kobi who was killed last week by a Palestinian sniper.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Shimon Peres with killed soldier Gavriel Kobi's family 370 (photo credit: Yosef Avi Yair Engel/President’s Residence)
Shimon Peres with killed soldier Gavriel Kobi's family 370
(photo credit: Yosef Avi Yair Engel/President’s Residence)
President Shimon Peres paid a condolence call on Friday to the family of Givati Brigade soldier Gavriel “Gal” Kobi who was killed in Hebron last week.
A Palestinian sniper killed Kobi as he and another Givati Brigade infantryman stood guard across from the Cave of the Patriarchs, where they had been stationed to defend the Jewish community and visitors to the area.
Kobi was posthumously promoted to staff-sergeant major.
Thousands of people attended his funeral in the Haifa Military Cemetery on Monday.
Among those who delivered eulogies at the funeral was Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, who continues to fight as a combat officer in the IDF reserves.
Peres visited the Kobi family at their home in Tirat Carmel, south of Haifa. He embraced the soldier’s parents and siblings and told the parents, Smadar and Ovad, that they had a wonderful courageous son who in the eyes of the state was a hero.
Peres will be in the Netherlands from September 29-October 2 at the invitation of King Willem- Alexander. Within the framework of his state visit, Peres will participate in a meeting of the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
His meeting with the judges will be closed to the media, but afterward, Peres will proceed through the Great Hall of Justice to the Peace Palace foyer where he will hold a briefing for the media and talk about developments in the peace process with the Palestinians and developments in the Middle East in general.
He will also talk about relations with the European Union.
Peres is one of the first world leaders to be invited to the Netherlands by the recently crowned king, with whom he will have an audience in the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. Peres will meet with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and will address a plenary session of the Senate. According to the Dutch Embassy, Peres will be interviewed by college students on a popular television program called College Tour.