In his individual conversations with the three rabbonim, Peres emphasized the importance of their support for the peace process, which he asked them to express through their sermons and rulings, especially during the current period of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.
He was particularly appreciative of the opinion expressed by Rav Yosef - with whom he has a long and warm relationship - that saving human lives takes precedence over sovereignty of territory.
At the start of his meeting with Rav Yosef, Peres commended the efforts that Rav Yosef had made toward peace and moderation among the people of Israel, and thanked him profusely for the letter that Rav Yosef recently sent to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in which he expressed personal support for peace and for what Egypt was doing to advance the peace process and prevent bloodshed.
In his conversations with all the rabbonim, Peres also spoke of the urgency of stopping Iran from taking control of the region and of the need for unity among the people of Israel in particular and the Jewish world in general.
Peres also raised the issue of the Geirus Law with Rav Amar and asked him to use his good offices to find a speedy solution that would not only resolve the problem in Israel, but also be acceptable to the Jews of the United States.
The visit continued in the afternoon when Rabbis Binyamin Lifshitz and Gershon Ohana presented Peres with an Israeli-grown lulav and esrog.
