State funeral of Shimon Peres to be held Friday at noon on Mt. Herzl

The funeral of Israel's 9th president, Shimon Peres, will be held Friday at noon at the Mount Herzl national cemetery in Jerusalem. Peres' body will lie in state at the Knesset on Thursday until 9:00 pm so people can pay their last respects. The casket will be transported to Mt. Herzl following a departure ceremony on Friday morning. Israel's ministerial committee on symbols and ceremonies announced that national flags will be lowered to half-staff on Thursday.