NEW YORK, June 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC mourns the death of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir at the age of 97.

AJC Executive Director David Harris released the following statement upon learning of Shamir's passing:

"In his long years of service to Israel and the Jewish people, Yitzhak Shamir worked ceaselessly, in accord with his firmly held beliefs, to secure the State of Israel against its enemies and to ensure its future. Incredible events happened on his watch, among them the large scale immigration of Soviet Jewry that eventually brought a million Jews to Israel, and including the beginning of the peace process at the Madrid Conference.

"While AJC did not always agree with Mr. Shamir's policies, we always saw in him uncompromising integrity and commitment.

"Mr. Shamir well understood the importance of the relationship of the State of Israel with the Diaspora. His graciousness was a hallmark of AJC's many meetings with him during his long years of service.

"May his memory be for a blessing."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee