As the Jewish Link went to press late Wednesday, Shimon Peres, Israel’s elder statesman, was hanging on to life after suffering a severe stroke on Tuesday. He has been described as being in “serious but stable condition.”

Peres, who served as prime minister and went on to retire as Israel’s ninth president, was the winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize along with the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and the late Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.

The career politician was often considered a voice of reason during Israel’s ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. During his career he was respected by diplomats and foreign leaders from all over the world. Former president Bill Clinton, who worked with Peres during the Oslo Accords, reportedly has called the Peres family in recent days to offer his support, according to Israeli press reports.

Peres, 93, was taken to Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer near Tel Aviv on Tuesday after telling his physician he felt ill. It was only a week earlier that Peres had a pacemaker implanted. In July, he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat.

As we head into our publication cycle, we wish Mr. Peres a refuah shleima, and we hope to be able to report happier news of his recovery. It’s in Hashem’s hands, and we pray that the Israeli leader is with us for a long time to come.

By JLNJ Staff