Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev will begin a four-day visit to Israel on Sunday.
Though no longer in office, Gorbachev will meet with key Israeli figures and be awarded several honors during the course of his stay.
The former Soviet leader will meet with Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, President Chaim Herzog, Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek, Foreign Minister David Levy and Labor Party leader Yitzhak Rabin.
Gorbachev will also be feted by some of the country’s top universities. He will receive an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan and the Harvey Peace Prize from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.
The Harvey Prize, which bears a cash award of $35,000, will be presented to Gorbachev for his role in reducing regional tensions, and for permitting Soviet Jews to emigrate.
At a news briefing Wednesday, the Technion announced that Gorbachev won the award “for his substantial contributions to peace in our region by removing his nation from an active position in the Israel-Arab crisis, his contribution in reducing the regional arms race, and his stand against despotism during the Gulf crisis.
“Under his leadership, his country formulated a more balanced stand in the Middle East crisis, and renewed its diplomatic relations with Israel. These activities contributed to paving the way to the Madrid peace conference, a milestone in the peace process between Israel and the Arab peoples.”
Technion President Zehev Tadmor lauded Gorbachev’s “courage in opening the gates of the former Soviet Union and permitting the massive immigration of Soviet Jewry to Israel.”
Hebrew University Professor Shlomo Avineri noted that Gorbachev “helped to redress the balance of the Middle East. Thanks to his actions, the Arab countries have had to realize that Israel will not disappear.”
Gorbachev, he said, “changed the nature of the conflict and paved the way for the Madrid peace talks. It’s not peace, but it is a beginning.
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