Shimon Peres was born in Belarus in 1923, and immigrated to Israel at the age of 11. Growing up in the Labor-Zionist youth movement "HaNo'ar Ha'oved", Peres deeply believed in the creation of a Jewish State. He lived with his family for many years on Kibbutz Alumot, during which time he married Sonia and worked as a shepherd and cowhand. In 1947, upon David Ben-Gurion's request, Peres was recruited by the Haganah (pre-independence military organization), and he assumed a pivotal role in many state-related missions.

Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Shimon Peres headed the naval services, and in 1949, he led a procurement delegation of Israel's Defence Ministry to the United States, undertaking evening studies at the New School for Social Research in parallel. On his return to Israel, at the age of 29, he became the Director General of the Ministry of Defence – the youngest ever in Israel's history. As Director General, Peres was a crucial player in the development of Israel's military and aerial industries. Later, the Prime Minister placed Shimon Peres in charge of the establishment of the nuclear reactor in Dimona.

In 1959, Shimon Peres was elected to the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) and served as Deputy Minister of Defence under then Prime Minister and Minister of Defence David Ben-Gurion. Ten years later, in 1969, he was appointed Minister of Absorption, and in 1970, Peres served as Minister of Transport and Communications. In 1974, Peres was appointed Minister of Defence, a position that he held until 1977. These critical years saw the rebuilding of the Israeli army following the 1973 War.

After the resignation of Yitzhak Rabin in 1977, Peres became acting Prime Minister, and was later elected Chairman of the Labor Party, running against Menachem Begin in the national elections. When Likud came to power in 1977, marking the first time in Israel's history that Labor was not the ruling party, Peres served as Head of the Opposition, a position he held until 1984. Following the establishment of a National Unity Government combining Labor and Likud in 1984, Peres served as Prime Minister (1984 to 1986) and as Minister of Foreign Affairs (1986 to 1988), rotating with Likud leader Yitzhak Shamir. In the subsequent National Unity Government (1988-1990) Peres served as Vice Premier and Minister of Finance, and then led the Opposition in the Knesset from 1990 to 1992.

After the Labor Party's victory under Rabin's leadership, Peres served again as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1992, and within that capacity, initiated the negotiations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), resulting in the Oslo Accords (Declaration of Principles) which was signed by Shimon Peres and Abu Mazen on the White House lawn, on 13^th September 1993. Shimon Peres, together with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat were awarded Nobel Peace Prizes in 1994 for their efforts toward peace. Peres was also involved in Israel's negotiations with Jordan, which commenced immediately following the signing of the Oslo Accords, and were officially signed in October 1994.

Subsequent to the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin in 1995, Peres became Prime Minister and Minister of Defence until the May 1996 elections. Following his defeat, Peres invested his efforts in creating and establishing the Peres Center for Peace – a non-government and non-partisan organization that brings Israel and its Arab neighbours closer by means of peacebuilding projects which focus on common social and economic interests, thereby fulfilling his vision of regional cooperation.

In July 1999, Peres was appointed Minister of Regional Cooperation in Ehud Barak’s government. In 2001, Peres again assumed the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, this time in Ariel Sharon’s newly-formed National Unity Government, a position he held until November 2002.

Peres was re-elected as Chairman of the Labor Party in June 2003, and in that capacity, he served as Head of the Opposition. In January 2005, as Head of the Labor Party, Peres once again joined Sharon's government, and served as Vice Prime Minister during the disengagement from Gaza. In November 2005, Shimon Peres left the Labor Party to join Sharon's new party, Kadima.

Shimon Peres has authored numerous books and articles. His standing and reputation have earned him international recognition among the nations and leaders of the world.

Shimon Peres is married to Sonia. They have three children, eight grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.