The State of Israel joined American lawmakers on Tuesday in mourning the death of US Representative Tom Lantos.
The only Holocaust survivor to ever serve in the US Congress, Lantos was a staunch supporter of Israel and fierce advocate of international human rights.
Lantos died on Monday at age 80, less than a month after being diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni released an official statement extolling Lantos' achievements and saying he would be greatly missed by Jerusalem.