World leaders have hailed the vision of the late Israeli leader, Shimon Peres, as he is laid to rest three days after he died at the age of 93.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described him as "a great man of the world", as he led the eulogies.
US President Barack Obama said the presence of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas at the funeral was a reminder of the "unfinished business of peace".
Mr Abbas was among dozens of foreign dignitaries attending in Jerusalem.
Security was intensified ahead of the ceremony, with several people arrested.
Delivering an emotional address, Mr Netanyahu said that while Israel and the world grieves for Mr Peres there was hope in his legacy.
"Shimon lived a life of purpose," he told the dozens of world leaders and representatives gathered at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl cemetery.
"He soared to incredible heights. He swept so many with his vision and his hope. He was a great man of Israel. He was a great man of the world."
Former US President Bill Clinton, who helped negotiate the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s that led to a Nobel Peace Prize for Shimon Peres, said he was Israel's "biggest dreamer".
"He imagined all the things the rest of us could do. He started life as Israel's brightest student, became its best teacher and ended up its biggest dreamer.''
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led the eulogies on Friday
Israeli police said 8,000 officers have been deployed for the security operation as thousands of people were expected to attend the funeral.
From the UK, Prince Charles, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and former Prime Minister Tony Blair were also attending.
The funeral was expected to be the largest such event in Israel since the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by a Jewish nationalist in 1995.
Mr Peres suffered a stroke two weeks ago and died on Wednesday, aged 93, in a hospital near Tel Aviv.
Other world dignitaries who are attending include:
- Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister, Australia
- Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister, Canada
- Donald Tusk, President, European Council
- Francois Hollande, President, France
- Joachim Gauck, President, Germany
- Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister, Italy
- Gen Nakatani, former Defence Minister, Japan
- Jawad Anani, senior minister, Jordan
- Enrique Pena Nieto, President, Mexico
- Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General, Nato
- Mark Rutte, Prime Minister, the Netherlands
- Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the upper house of parliament, Russia
- King Felipe VI, Spain
- Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations
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