I was wondering why the flags were flying at half mast, and it turns out it’s because Shimon Peres died. This is causing a massive debate among my colleagues. I, too, find it kind of bizarre that this fellow would be honored in such a big way. But then again, the flags were lowered for Nancy Reagan, so it’s not like it often makes ton of sense.
Shimon Peres
Clarissa's Blog 
The pertinent section of the U. S. Flag Code says, “by order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law.”
So it’s basically the President’s call.
Old joke you may not get: “When you see the flag flying at half-mast at the Post Office, it means they’re hiring.”
LikeLike
“Old joke you may not get: “When you see the flag flying at half-mast at the Post Office, it means they’re hiring.””
LikeLike
Back in the Nineties, in the days before domestic terrorism and frequent school shootings, most of the workplace shootings that made the national news involved disgruntled Post Office workers — creating frequent vacancies at the Post Office.
LikeLike
Right, “going postal”! :-))
LikeLike
Yes, and “Postal 2” is still my favourite video game of all time, especially since the grand climax (ahem) happens at a Post Office …
LikeLike
Shimon Peres is presented as the last of Israel’s founding fathers, somebody who stood by the side of David Ben Gurion even when most others parted ways with the latter. This alone would be enough to make his death a large event for Israelis, but he has also turned himself into the embodiment of desire / hope for peace after the signing of Oslo Accords which created the Palestinian Authority and recognized it as a partner in peace negotiations. That’s why his death is significant for Americans interested in the continuation of the peace process.
Ironically, this is the same man who supported settlements once.
In another bit of irony, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attended the funeral, but “MKs from the 13-strong list — the Knesset’s sole Arab party —” decided to boycott it:
\Saying history ‘complicated,’ entire Arab party to skip Peres funeral.
Joint List head Ayman Odeh calls Peres part of ‘tragedies for my people,’ says it’s most respectful to stay silent
…
Many in the Arab world are deeply critical of Peres because of his role in building his country’s defense arsenal, supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and waging war in Lebanon.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/saying-history-complicated-mks-from-arab-party-to-skip-peres-funeral/
I watched a part of the ceremony today and Bill Clinton looked genuinely sorrowful about his death. I only did not like Clinton’s saying “His heart was bigger than his brain,” but this part was good:
\“His critics often claimed he was an overly optimistic, naive dreamer. They were only wrong about the naive part. He knew exactly what he was doing with his dreams. He never gave up on anybody.”
http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2016/09/30/obama-shimon-toda-raba-haver-yakar/
LikeLike
Here in Newark, some flags are at half mast and some are not.
LikeLike
I find it very weird. Some fellow from a tiny country halfway across the world. Why are we supposed to care? Tomorrow the Saudi princes will start dropping off, are we to mourn them all because they are allies?
LikeLike
\ Some fellow from a tiny country halfway across the world.
Tiny does not mean insignificant.
Since Americans find Middle East and Israel’s role in it significant and have been quite involved in the peace process (also, Americans know that our Arab neighbors, including Egypt, name Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an important destabilizing factor in the region), they use Peres’s death as another opportunity to talk about the issue.
One could say that the world leaders mourn the peace process, not Peres. Or rather, stubbornly refuse to mourn it.
LikeLike
That’s a beautiful metaphor. Ok, I can definitely accept mourning the peace process
LikeLike