JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli leaders poured out their condolences after Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died Thursday afternoon at the age of 96.
“On behalf of the Government and people of Israel, I send my condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Twitter. “She leaves behind an unparalleled legacy of leadership and service. May her memory be for a blessing.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called her passing an “end of an era.”
“Together with the Israeli people, I grieve her loss and extend my deepest sympathies to the British people and all nations of the Commonwealth, who have lost their matriarch. Queen Elizabeth was a historic figure: she lived history, she made history, and with her passing she leaves a magnificent, inspirational legacy,” he said in a statement.
“The Queen served the international community over 70 years, and under her reign, UK-Israel relations flourished,” Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz tweeted. “My thoughts are with the UK today.”
Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu said on Twitter that the queen “was a legendary sovereign, a beacon of integrity and a steward of a second Elizabethan age which will be remembered down the centuries. May her memory be blessed.”
Tel Aviv’s Municipality lit up the city hall with the British flag to honor the queen.
Buckingham Palace announced Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle, her residence in Scotland. Her son, Prince Charles II, automatically became king.
Queen Elizabeth II assumed the throne in 1952, just four years after Israel became a modern Jewish State.
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She spent 70 years as queen of the United Kingdom.
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