ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />Outgoing Israeli President Shimon Peres is awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday (June 26).<br/> <br />Peres is the first sitting Israeli president to receive a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the U.S..<br/> <br />He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his work as foreign minister during the Middle East peace talks that led to the Oslo Accords.<br/> <br />Peres thanked the U.S. for their long-term friendship; "I learned the two great bodies that are still under the icon marble dome, the Senate and the House of Representatives, offered a tiny Israel, struggling for life, an unbelievable, an unbreakable friendship."<br/> <br />The White House had previously said Peres "has strengthened the unbreakable bonds between Israel and the United States" as an advocate for Israel's security and for peace.<br/> <br />Although Israeli heads of state are not directly involved in political decision-making, Peres, a N
