Former Israeli President Shimon Peres is in intensive care after suffering a serious stroke, medical officials say.
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Peres, 93, was taken to Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer near Tel Aviv after telling his doctor that he felt weak.
“His condition is stable, and he is fully conscious”, the statement read.
“Former president Peres’ doctors sedated and intubated him so as to best facilitate the continuation of his treatment”, his office said.
The last of Israel’s founding fathers, Peres has held almost every major office in the country, including prime minister twice and president, a mostly ceremonial post, from 2007 to 2014.
Peres, now retired, had a 55-year political career culminating in a term as Israel’s president from 2007 to 2014.
In an interview in January with JTA, just days before his heart attack, Peres said he was busier than ever, including his work with the Peres Center for Peace, which he founded. He was later diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. His office said Peres received a pacemaker last week. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Rabin and Yasser Arafat, the leader of Palestine Liberation Organization, for the Oslo accords that were first signed in 1993. Channel 10 TV said Peres had also delivered an hour-long lecture earlier in the day. In the video, he appears tired but is otherwise alert and coherent.
As president, a largely ceremonial office, he cultivated an image as the country’s elder statesman and became one of its most popular public figures.
“Shimon, we love you and all wish for your recovery”, Netanyahu wrote in the Hebrew-language post.
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Peres severed as prime minister of Israel for three terms. He remains an influential figure in Israel and overseas, maintaining an active schedule through the Peres Center for Peace, a non-profit organization that promotes reconciliation, tolerance and innovation.
