Shimon Peres was responsive when briefly taken off medications keeping him in a medically induced coma, his doctor said a day after the former Israeli president suffered a stroke. The statement said that he was stable and fully conscious.
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Peres, a former prime minister, defense minister and Israel’s ninth president was hospitalized Tuesday evening after suffering a stroke.
“After 24 hours of intensive care, I can say that his condition is still severe but he is stable, and there is a certain improvement”, Prof. Regarding the level of neurological recovery, no one can tell at this early stage.
“The very mild anaesthesia allows him to rest completely and provides optimal conditions for his brain to recover”. He was still sedated and breathing with a respirator, but doctors were seeking to reduce sedation to evaluate him and he was occasionally awake, Kreiss said.
Over a seven-decade career, he held most of the senior political offices, including three stints as prime minister and extended terms as foreign, defence and finance minister.
After being discharged, he told reporters he was “so happy to return to work, that was the whole objective of this operation”.
After making it through the night safely Mr Peres was moved to the intensive care unit of the neurology department at Tel Hashomer hospital for further treatment and observation.
Peres, born in Poland in 1923, is a longtime figure in Israeli politics, serving as prime minister twice in the 1980s and 1990s before becoming president from 2007 to 2014.
“He squeezed our hand and gave indication he is listening to us”, Valden said Wednesday morning.
His personal physician and son-in-law Raphy Walden said that Peres had been responsive when his sedation was lessened. He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the peace process with the Palestinians. His office said Peres received a pacemaker last week.
These attacks caused him to lose national elections in 1996 to the hawkish Oslo opponent Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in his fourth term as prime minister today.
Long a divisive personality in Israeli politics, Peres finally became one of Israel’s most popular public figures in his later years. Netanyahu conveyed the prayers of the entire nation for a quick recovery, according to the statement. Former US president Bill Clinton called Peres’ office in order to inquire about the situation and wish him a speedy recovery.
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“His devotion to the state of Israel is not doubted by anybody”, Ephraim Imbar, Director of the Begin-Sadat Center told The Media Line.
