Israel Braces for Influx of Dignitaries for Peres Funeral

Behind the scenes of the well-orchestrated and dignified funeral for Israel’s senior statesman, Shimon Peres, will be a security and logistical nightmare that will manage the arrivals and transportation for scores of international VIPs and the masses just turning out to bid farewell. Many of the dozens of world leaders in attendance will have their own security details who need to coordinate with the Israelis, a mammoth task dwarfed by the planned participation of US President Barack Obama. While security experts wrestle with the logistics of parking and guarding the official aircraft belonging to the many heads of state flying in for the funeral, Israelis will bear the brunt of inconveniences, primarily in the form of the closing at times of major thoroughfares and heavy traffic at other times as people from all over the country travel to Jerusalem for the events. Highways to the country’s primary international gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, will be closed on Thursday and Friday, wreaking havoc on airline schedules and in effect closing the country to all but the VIP cadre. Locally, Jerusalemites will suffer the most due to road closings and areas barricaded-off to the public. Israelis will be able to file past the coffin of Shimon Peres outside the parliament building on Thursday. American flags will fly at have-mast throughout the nation and at diplomatic venues abroad at the order of President Obama.