JERUSALEM (AP) — As Shimon Peres turns 90, the indefatigable Israeli president is doing what he has always done: looking ahead, preparing for the next challenge and believing that he will see Middle East peace in his lifetime. Old age has hardly slowed him down. If anything, it seems to have handed Peres a measure of the grace that eluded him as a younger man. And at a time when Israel is widely criticized for its ongoing occupation and continued settlement of war-won land, he operates as something of a one-man reminder that the country once aimed — in its 1948 Declaration of Independence — to be a "light unto the nations." "For me, what is important is tomorrow, the next day. What happened until now is over, unchangeable. I'm not going to spend time on it. So I am really living in the future," said Peres in an interview with The AP. "I really think that one should devote his energies to make the world better and not to make the past remembered better." Peres seemed energetic and spiffy in a dark suit and purple tie as he sat in his office, whose book-lined shelves include three devoted entirely to his own works, in Hebrew and myriad translations. The mention of old age seemed to deeply startle him, as did any notion of retirement or even vacation, which he dismissed as a "waste of time." On Tuesday, Peres launches a three-day event called the "President's Conference" — an annual gathering of artists, thinkers and leaders whose global guest list reflects an extraordinary profile on the world stage: More than any other prominent Israeli politician he seems to largely be forgiven for his country's extremely messy conflict with the Palestinians. A politician of astounding longevity — he was a young aide to the country's founding father David Ben-Gurion at the time of independence in 1948 and a top defense official in the 1950s — Peres has nonetheless been strangely unsuccessful for much of his career. Despite having slipped into the prime minister's post three times over the years, each tenure was short-lived. He never won an election outright, losing outright four times and tying once, earning a reputation as a grasping manipulator who was also a bit of a schlemiel. His propensity for aphorism — "You can make omelets out of eggs, but not eggs out of omelets!" — has befuddled many a campaign crowd. And the distinctive cadence, which to this day betrays his Polish roots, is still a mimic's delight. An unbending belief in peace has been taken by many Israelis as dangerous naivete. And it is ironic as well: Peres was once something of a security hawk, and he is widely credited with engineering, a half century ago, Israel's status as a nuclear power. It took a meltdown by his predecessor in the mostly ceremonial president's role for Peres to finally win the recognition he had coveted for so many years. Caught up in a devastating sex scandal, Moshe Katsav was forced to step down in 2007 to face rape charges. Seeking to stabilize the cherished institution, parliament turned to Peres and elected him president. Katsav was convicted and is now in prison. Peres, 83 at the time, seemed to benefit simply by not being the tongue-tied Katsav. Statesmanlike and serious, supposedly above politics in his new role, his popularity skyrocketed among Israelis at last. Peres has used the presidency to speak out as a voice of reason on political affairs, cautioning political leaders against attacking Iran's nuclear program last summer, and packaging himself as a lovable grandfatherly figure. He has embraced Facebook and frequently meets with children and young Israelis. "Shimon Peres has undergone a miraculous transformation which almost all politicians in the world would love to experience," said Israeli historian Tom Segev. "For most of his public life, he was the most hated politician in Israel. He was the symbol of petty, dirty politics. Since he became president almost all of a sudden his people began to love him. It's almost like a fairy tale." Peres attributed the stunning turnaround to the power of the presidency. Freed from the constraints of political intrigue, "all of a sudden I discovered I don't need power. ... But if (the people) think that I came to serve, they will trust (me) and I could have achieved many things that maybe in the government I wouldn't be able to do." A poll in March published by the Haaretz daily showed Peres with a 74 percent approval rating, far ahead of conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at 48 percent. The poll, conducted by the Dialog agency, questioned 473 people and had a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points. On the international front, Peres probably benefits similarly by not being Netanyahu. Now in his third term, Netanyahu is seen as a peace skeptic with a hard edge, and a world eager to put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to bed generally does not admire his continued building of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Peres is the Israeli leader many in the world would far prefer: conciliatory, philosophical and seemingly amenable. He never tires of the promotion of peace and seems genuinely driven by a vision of a better world. During the interview, Peres declined to criticize Netanyahu directly, noting that Netanyahu has in principle accepted the "two-state solution" but allowing that he would like progress toward the establishment of a Palestinian state to be "faster." Negotiations are currently on hold — as they have been, mostly, since Netanyahu's return to office in 2009, with the Palestinians insisting in vain on a settlement freeze and Israel refusing "preconditions." Peres seems at pains to not betray frustration the government's policies, including its apparent ignoring of the recently-reissued Arab League initiative offering regional peace in exchange for a pullout from the land Israel captured in the 1967 war. He noted that the offer was at least not rejected outright. Peres said that despite all the failures in peace efforts over the years, he looks at the successes: a historic agreement with Egypt in 1979, peace with Jordan in 1994 and interim accords with the Palestinians in the 1990s. "That gives me the license to be an optimist, and I would never give up this license," he said. "I'm sure I shall see peace in my lifetime. Even if I should have to extend my life for a year or two, I won't hesitate." Yossi Beilin, a former protege who served as Peres' deputy at the Foreign Ministry in the 1990s, said the move into the presidency was "a very important strategic decision" for his onetime mentor. "I think he is enjoying very much, for the first time in his life, a situation where everybody likes him ... This is his retirement." Peres has become a fixture at a variety of annual international events like the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, showing up each year to a kind of reverent acclaim enjoyed by only a tiny handful in the world. This year he was awarded the central onstage interview with Davos founder Klaus Schwab, who respectfully queried him on subjects as diverse as the Arab Spring and the nature of the modern multinational corporation. Last summer at the similar Ambrosetti Forum in Italy, Peres held an audience of high-powered officials and businesspeople rapt with his musings on the workings of the human brain. In Jordan last month, Peres was enthusiastically received by clapping, whistling business leaders from around the Arab world. His call for new peace talks drew several standing ovations from an audience of 2,000 that included U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "He is a man of peace," said Palestinian business tycoon Munib Masri, who was in the crowd. "People see him that way and like him for that." He then embraced King Abdullah, tapped him on the shoulder as both exchanged smiles and warm greetings. Back home, some criticized him for pushing the limits of what is supposed to be an apolitical office. "I didn't know that Peres became the government spokesman," said Cabinet minister Yuval Steinitz. The birthday celebrations have also come under fire for extravagant spending, including a $500,000 fee for an appearance by Bill Clinton at a college, and a $3 million budget for the conference itself. Organizers have said the funding has come from private donations, not public money. Clinton subsequently donated his speaking fee back to the Peres Academic Center, the college where he spoke, for student scholarships. But Peres seems to be revered by his staff. His chief of staff, Efrat Duvdevani, sparked a debate at home this week by leaving her hospital room, hours after giving birth, to return to work ahead of the conference. Peres established the conference soon after taking office as president in 2008 as a sort of mini-Davos, attracting top scientists, philosophers and business leaders. It is an ambition that is hard to imagine elsewhere, or being attempted by any successor. Yet it works: This year's guest list includes Clinton, Tony Blair, Rahm Emanuel, and Larry Summers — as well as Robert DeNiro, Sharon Stone and Barbra Streisand. The gathering is also serving as a birthday party for Peres, who turns 90 in August. Peres seemed pleased and embarrassed when asked about the unlikely rock-star status he has cultivated late in life. "I think it's a God-sent opportunity for a human being like myself to have the occasion to serve the people sincerely with love and hope," he said. With just one year left in his presidency, Peres rules out running for elected office but says he has no plans to retire and will search for new ways to serve the people — and also to spread "tranquility" around the world. "I am not running for anything and I am not running away from anything," he said. "I am trying where I can to be a unifier, to unite. When I have to voice my view I do, and I shall continue to do it." ___ Dan Perry has covered the Mideast since the 1990s and currently leads AP's coverage in the region. Follow him at twitter.com/perry_dan Josef Federman is the Associated Press News Editor for Israel and the Palestinian territories. Follow him at twitter.com/joseffederman. ___ Associated Press writer Max J. Rosenthal contributed to this report.

OGDEN, Utah (AP) — It was a quiet part of the Father's Day Mass as about 300 people stood up in preparation for communion. A parishioner, known by many at the church as Ricky Jennings, entered through the glass doors in back, holding his wife Cheryl's hand. Seconds later, police say Jennings fired a single shot at the back of Cheryl's father's head, nearly killing him. The loud bang pierced the silence, sending people diving for cover beneath pews and the priest behind the altar. "It was echoing in my head so loud," said Rebecca Ory Hernandez, who was only a few feet away with her 5-year-old son. She grabbed the boy, threw him under the pew and got on top of him. She heard the pastor blurt out an expletive into his microphone. "I was waiting for another gunman," she said. The shooter ran from the church, the pastor and a half dozen other men close on his heels. Ory Hernandez and other parishioners went to James Evans. They used scarves and a shirt to help soak up the blood, and she cradled his head. His wife, Tara, who had been standing next to him, and others prayed. "I'm OK, I'm OK," Evans kept saying, as blood spilled from his mouth. Meanwhile, Charles Richard Jennings Jr., 35, stole a truck from a nearby neighbor at gunpoint and led police on a highway chase, police said. He was caught hours later on foot after the truck ran out of gas. As police try to determine why Jennings shot his father-in-law — police think he may have been drinking or on drugs and say the couple had a history of domestic disputes — the family is grateful for a small miracle. Evans, who turns 66 on Tuesday, was struck at the side of his head, the bullet going through near his ear and out his cheek and missing his brain, said Dr. Barbara Kerwin, the director of the intensive care unit at McDay-Dee Hospital in Ogden. "He turned his head just at the right time," his wife said Monday, crying at a hospital news conference. "If didn't turn his head, he would have been hit in the back of the head and he would have been dead." He was in critical condition Monday but doctors say he's expected to live, although he'll need reconstructive surgery and rehab to learn to swallow and speak again, Kerwin said. He was awake on Monday, nodding yes and no, writing and using hand signals to communicate. Jennings was booked on suspicion of attempted aggravated criminal homicide, aggravated robbery and possession of a firearm by a restricted user. Charges are expected to be filed Tuesday, and Jennings will appear by video for arraignment in Ogden, said Weber County deputy county attorney Dean Saunders. Court records show Jennings has a criminal record going back to 1996, when he pleaded no contest to several traffic-related misdemeanors. Over the years, he's pleaded no contest to felony charges of failing to yield to police and attempting to receive a stolen vehicle, and misdemeanor charges for traffic violations, criminal trespassing and theft. He's also pleaded guilty to theft charges and a felony charge of attempting to tamper with a witness or juror. Authorities don't expect to file any charges against Jennings' wife. She was not at Monday's news conference with her mother and another sister at the McDay-Dee Hospital in Ogden. It's not clear whether she knew her husband had the gun, or what she did after he shot her father on Sunday. After paramedics rushed James Evans to the hospital, the Rev. Erik Richtsteig returned to the brick church that sits on the east side of Ogden at the foot of a steep rock mountain called Jumpoff Canyon, surrounded by middle-class houses with manicured lawns and rose bushes. As doctors operated on James Evans, who had recently accompanied the priest on a trip to the Holy Land in Jerusalem, Richtsteig told his congregation who the shooter was, and asked them to pray for the couple and their 3-year-old son. Then, for those who stayed, he finished the Mass, explaining his reasons matter-of-factly, Ory Hernandez said. "Evil will not prevail," Richtsteig said. The congregation is shaken, Richtsteig said Monday: "They were a mess — they were worshipping God and this man came in and did an act of violence." Ory Hernandez says she has cried, enraged that violence came to the house of worship, and was at a loss for words when her son told her, "I didn't know there were any bad guys in this town, mommy." But it won't stop her from coming back to church. "The bad guy doesn't get to win this time," she said.