U.S. Flags to Fly at Half-Staff for Shimon Peres, an Honor Historically Given to Few Other Foreign Dignitaries
On Wednesday, President Obama issued a proclamation ordering all American flags at official buildings and posts at home and across the globe be flown at half-staff through sunset on Friday, Septermber 30, as “a mark of respect for the memory of Shimon Peres.” Peres’s funeral will take place in Israel on Friday.
The rules for this honor “in the event of a death of a member or former member of the federal, state or territorial government or judiciary,” vary from that of a foreign leader, making it a rare occasion. As far as my research shows, only seven other foreign personages has been honored with a presidential order to fly American flags at half-staff.