President Shimon Peres said Sunday that cooperation among Israeli leaders is necessary, even when they disagree. Speaking at a memorial observance for Chaim Weitzmann, modern Israel's first president, Peres noted the differences between Weitzmann and David Ben-Gurion, the country's first prime minister.

Peres said two lessons could be drawn from their biographies. The first is that cooperation is necessary for the state and its future, even when there are disagreements between leaders. He cited Ben-Gurion's nominating Weitzmann as president in spite of their differences.

The second lesson is that "vision is wiser than interest. Interest divides and stops [people]. Vision unites [them] and lifts [them] up. That's the lesson. That's our fate," Peres said.