By Dan Merica
WASHINGTON — (CNN) Hillary Clinton has no plans to go to Israel for Shimon Peres’ funeral later this week, an aide said Wednesday after some earlier reports indicated that she would attend.
Former President Bill Clinton, who worked and regularly met with Peres as president, will attend the funeral, which is slated for Friday, on behalf of the Clinton family, according to Bill Clinton’s spokesman.
Peres, the longtime Israeli leader who shared a Nobel Prize for forging a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians, died Tuesday after suffering a massive stroke two weeks ago.
Bill and Hillary Clinton said Tuesday night that Peres’ passing means they “have lost a true and treasured friend.”
“With the passing of Shimon Peres, Israel has lost a leader who championed its security, prosperity, and limitless possibilities from its birth to his last day on earth,” the Clintons said in a statement.
“The Middle East has lost a fervent advocate for peace and reconciliation and for a future where all the children of Abraham build a better tomorrow together.”
They added, “His critics called him a dreamer. That he was — a lucid, eloquent dreamer until the very end. Thank goodness. Let those of us who loved him and love his nation keep his dream alive.”
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