Former Israeli Prime Minister and President, Shimon Peres, was a very successful brand. He was presented to the world as stately, wise, a relentless advocate of peace, and a sane voice amidst a conflict deemed senseless and unending.
Now that he is dead at 93, international media are rife with touching tributes and heartwarming eulogies of the Nobel Peace Prize winner, one of Israel's most sagacious "founding fathers," who was also seen as a "giant among men."
These attributes were mostly based on sentiment rather than fact, however. Full knowledge of the man's legacy certainly lingers among many Palestinians, Lebanese and advocates of peace and justice in the Middle East. The truth is, Peres was never truly a peacemaker. He never labored to achieve fair and just political compromises that would preserve the dignity and rights of the Palestinians, along with securing Israel's future. In fact, he was a maximalist, a man who blatantly shoved his ideas forward in order to achieve his goals, no matter what the method or the price. Nor was he a leader with a specific qualities that allowed him to excel in particular fields of politics. Instead, he was the embodiment of the archetypical Israeli politician who swapped roles, and rebranded himself as the occasion or role required.