SIDEBAR Israelis bid farewell to former president Shimon Peres

Jerusalem (dpa) - The sound of helicopters overhead drowns out the murmuring of the crowd waiting in front of the Knesset on Thursday to say their goodbyes to longtime Israeli politician Shimon Peres."The younger ones remember him as a cute president, as a grandfather," says Maajan Edelman, one of 200 others who have turned out to see his body as it lies in state, a day after the Nobel laureate died at 93.Western leaders and regular Israelis alike have expressed condolences over Peres‘ death, and a slew of international figures are expected to descend on Jerusalem for his funeral on Mount Herzl on Friday.Police have sealed off streets in the area, and some 8,000 officers are on duty for the funeral events, a spokesman said. Buses were set up to take the expected flood of visitors to the coffin. A Knesset representative spoke of 10,000 people having visited by midday."I am here to give respect to Shimon Peres, since he was a big man," said Shalom Benyeshaya, who heard Peres speak in front of the United Nations building in New York in the early 1990s. "I thought he will be alive at least 110 years," the 57-year-old Benyeshaya said.Flowers and garlands adorned a picture of Peres, and many people took pictures or videos with his coffin.At the Peres Centre for Peace in Tel Aviv, however, the fanfare was noticeably lacking. A portrait of Peres stood in the building‘s hallway, but well-wishers and decorations were not to be found.Only the presence of workers indicated that it wasn‘t business as usual. They were called in to set up for the shiva, or Jewish mourning ceremony, that was planned to take place over the weekend."He lived a long life, you know?" said a woman walking her dog near the centre. "I‘ve never been to the centre even though I live in the area. I don‘t know a lot about his legacy."