Israel’s Peres hospitalized after stroke

World Today

This file photo taken on November 14, 2015 shows former Israeli President Shimon Peres delivering a speech in honor of the victims of the Paris attacks in Rabin Square in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv. (AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ)

Former Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday suffered a stroke and was rushed to a hospital.

The head of the Israeli hospital treating Peres said earlier that a stroke caused “lots of bleeding.”

Physician Itzik Kreiss told reporters outside the Sheba Hospital near Tel Aviv late Tuesday that the 93-year-old Peres had undergone a series of tests, and that doctors would hold another assessment in a few hours.

Peres’ son, Chemi, said the situation “wasn’t simple,” but the family was praying for his father and remained optimistic.

Peres was rushed to the hospital Tuesday after suffering the stroke. He was then sedated and placed on a respirator. Doctors administered a CT scan but have not released the results. Earlier in the day his office said the 93-year-old politician’s condition was stable and that he was fully conscious.

Channel 10 TV, citing hospital officials, said he was awake but confused, and that tests had determined he suffered a stroke.

Peres has held virtually every senior political office in Israel over a seven-decade career, including three terms as prime minister. He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the peace process with the Palestinians. As president, a largely ceremonial office, he cultivated an image as the country’s elder statesman and became a popular fixture at international conferences like the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Peres has remained active since completing his seven-year term as president in 2014, and is one of the country’s most popular public figures. He often hosts public events at his peace center, bringing together Arabs and Jews in efforts to promote peace and coexistence.

Story by the Associated Press