Former President Shimon Peres was fighting for his life at Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer Tuesday night, just an hour after he was felled by a severe stroke.

Peres was rushed to the hospital Tuesday evening after feeling “weak” and becoming confused. Dr. Ayelet Frisch, Peres communications consultant, said his personal physician, Prof. Rafi Walden, had him taken to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, near Tel Aviv. Walden is the deputy director of Sheba Medical Center.

As of 02:00 am Israel time, the former president was breathing with the aid of a respirator, in an induced medical coma to ease the stress of his condition on his body. Doctors convened late Tuesday night to decide whether surgery would be helpful to the former president in any way; it was decided that surgery was not an option and the best thing was to simply keep their patient as comfortable as possible.

Upon his arrival at the hospital, Peres underwent an initial CT scan to determine his medical status, and then was sedated and placed on a respirator in the intensive care unit.

The initial CT showed the 93-year-old elder statesman had suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage, with a second CT scan to assess his condition about an hour later having showed no improvement.

Hemi Peres, the son of the former president, asked the public to pray for his father (name for prayers: Shimon ben Sara) in a statement outside the medical center.

“These have not been easy hours for my family and I,” he said. “We have received many messages from people in Israel and abroad, and we have been wrapped up with warmth and love.

But “at some point,” he acknowledged painfully, decisions will have to be made.”

“Nothing is more precious to my father than the nation of Israel and its people,” he continued. “My father is a special person. I am remaining optimistic. I am praying and hoping for the best.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his wishes for a speedy recovery. “Shimon we love you and the entire nation is praying you will recover,” Netanyahu said.

Both chief rabbis of Israel — Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau, and Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef — also sent their blessings and prayers for a swift recovery.

Incumbent President Reuven Rivlin expressed concern over his predecessor’s condition, and said, “I am following with concern the updates from the hospital, and praying together with the entire people for my friend Shimon’s recovery.”

Labor Party Chairman Isaac Herzog also extended wishes for a speedy recovery to Peres, his predecessor in the party. “I wish you, our former president and eternally beloved Shimon Peres, that you recover quickly and return to make your wise, clear and sober voice heard. A complete recovery!” Herzog wrote on the Twitter social network site.

The former president had undergone a procedure last week to implant a pacemaker after returning from a diplomatic conference in Italy. He was released from the hospital the following day.

But Peres experienced a number of medical episodes during the past year. He was hospitalized on January 14 for a heart condition and doctors performed angioplasty in order to unblock an artery. He was discharged from the hospital five days later, but was compelled to cancel a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos the next day. Peres had planned 15 meetings with world leaders and officials for that trip, and doctors advised him to “rest,” instead.

A professional politician for more than six decades, Peres has held just about every top position in the government of Israel, including stints as prime minister, foreign minister, finance minister, defense minister, and president. Since completing his seven-year term in 2014 as president, he has hosted numerous public events at his Peres Peace Center in an attempt to create his own unique brand of peace and co-existence between Arabs and Jews.

Known throughout the world as an “ambassador for peace,” Peres was awarded the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for his part in reaching the 1993 Oslo Accords together with then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat – the agreement that created the Palestinian Authority.

Have you made up your mind yet whom you would like to see in the White House? This programme brings you the first of two prominent American political commentators giving their conflicting views in frank conversation with Walter.

Also: Hear about the despicable behaviour of Yossi Beilin

And: Why the General wanted to be in command of Judea and Samaria

The Walter Bingham File 11Sept2016 – PODCAST

President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan has passed away at the age of 78, according to an official televised announcement Friday by Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The announcement had not yet been confirmed by the Uzbek government, by noon Friday EDT, and it is not clear what the next steps will be in the Euro-Asian nation, in terms of how the population will determine who the next leader will be.

Karimov was rushed to the hospital a week ago after suffering a cerebral hemmorhage, but no further information was released. Military, police and security forces had surrounded the hospital in a circle that was several kilometers wide.

The president has led the nation since Uzbekistan declared its independence from the former Soviet Union 25 years ago. The country’s 25th anniversary of that event was celebrated Thursday, led for the first time by Uzbekistan’s prime minister rather than by Karimov, who was present each year at the celebrations.

Leftist Dilma Rousseff was impeached Wednesday in a 61-20 vote by the Brazilian Senate after 13 years as president of South America’s biggest economy.

Rousseff was stripped of her office on grounds of deliberate financial mismanagement and corruption, specifically on charges of manipulating the federal budget in order to hide the growing economic problems in the country.

The power struggle, which had consumed the nation for months, abated somewhat in May, when Rousseff was suspended in order to stand trial.

But the impeachment was also a condemnation of her Workers’ Party and a confirmation that the nation is facing its worst economic crisis in decades. Nor is that crisis likely to end any time soon: Michel Temer, 75, was Rousseff’s vice president and has now taken the helm after breaking with her earlier in the year. He is expected to remain in the office until the end of the current term in 2018, but questions remain as to how much his centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party can accomplish, given the overwhelming poverty and corruption that has swallowed the country over the past decade.

Temer has named a male-only cabinet in a nation where diversity is key. Several ministers have already resigned, among them the “anti-corruption minister.” Temer himself is facing a claim that he received a bribe of $300,000, which he denies.

The controversy-clogged Rio Summer Olympics have just barely ended, leaving huge structures for massive sports events and spanking-new entertainment arenas in their wake. The mammoth buildings are great places for an economy that is revved up and ready to roll, but hardly the infrastructure for a limping nation battered after a political brawl with a kicked-out president.

Rousseff proved herself no friend to Jerusalem after refusing to accept the credentials of Israel’s choice for ambassador to Brazil, Dani Dayan, because he lives in Judea and Samaria.

That snub was an unprecedented show of rudeness of Rousseff’s part, but she apparently had chosen to align herself with Israeli Arab Knesset members and MK Tzipi Livni, who lobbied against Dayan’s appointment.

At the end, the current Israeli ambassador to Brazil, Reda Mansour, was forced to remain and New York City won an outstanding new Israeli Consul-General instead.

President Islam Karimov, the long-time ruler of of the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan was hospitalized Saturday, according to a cryptic statement issued by the Central Asian government.

“In the opinion of the specialists, a full medical examination and subsequent treatment will require a certain amount of time,” the statement read, according to the Regnum news agency, reporting from the capital, Tashkent.

The 78-year-old leader has led Uzbekistan for more than 25 years. A security ring several kilometers (two miles) deep was formed around the government hospital where he was admitted for treatment.

Uzbekistan is a relatively isolated nation of some 32 million people, located on the border of Afghanistan. The nation has been led by Karimov since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The popular leader was re-elected to a five-year term just last year in a landslide victory with more than 90 percent of the vote. Karimov’s eldest daughter Gulnara was allegedly placed under house arrest in 2014, according to the BBC. His second daughter, Lola Karimova Tillyaeva, is the nation’s ambassador to UNESCO.

Uzbekistan holds a special place among Muslim nations with whom Israel enjoys friendly relations, in part due to the historical ties binding Ashkenazi Jews together with those of Bukharan origins. These bonds were further recognized and deepened last year when Karimov spoke at the opening ceremony of a special ethnic music festival in Samarkand, sometimes referred to as the ‘Eurovision of the East.’ He noted the event contributes to consolidating the “ties of friendship among nations, developing the cultural dialogue and preserving the traditions of classical music.” By the time the ninth festival was held, musicians from 53 nations were participating. Israel sent a delegation to the event as well.

Next Thursday, Sept. 1, the country marks its 25th Independence Day, and Karimov was expected to be in attendance as he has been every year. But according to unconfirmed reports quoted by the Ferganan news website and cited by the BBC, the president may have suffered a stroke.

Tashkent has taken a hard line against radical Islamist terror: many of those who belonged to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in the 1990s were “encouraged” to leave the country and have since joined the Taliban in Afghanistan. Some have since pledged allegiance to Da’esh (ISIS.) In 2005 they were accused of generating mass protests in the city of Andizhan, where Reuters reported 187 people were killed by police and security force gunfire.

Marking two years since Operation Protective Edge, President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday toured the region bordering the Gaza Strip, accompanied by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Gaza Division Commander Brig. Gen. Yehuda Fox.

The President received a situation update and heard about the IDF daily operations in the area, in particular following the recent terrorist rocket attack on Sderot. During his visit, President Rivlin was shown a terror tunnel discovered by the IDF, and discussed the initiatives the IDF was taking to tackle the tunnels problem.

The President later met with dozens of soldiers from the Bedouin Tracker Unit, combat engineers, and members of the Givati Brigade who are serving in the region. He told them, “Two years after Operation Protective Edge, the south has returned to its daily routine. The IDF guards the front in the very best way, and the front in return shows its appreciation. Just as we saw yesterday, we will not tolerate any disturbance of the quiet, and in the face of any such disturbance we will respond swiftly and firmly. On both sides of the border there are civilians who want to live in quiet and we will be sure that the citizens of Israel will continue to live in harmony. We do not seek war, yet, after having sat with our wonderful commanders I know that if war is forced upon us, we have an army as ready and professional as could be asked. The plan that was presented to me reflects operational strength.”

President Rivlin pointed that “two of our sons remained behind after the war which took place two years ago. The State of Israel has a moral responsibility to bring back Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.”

The President added, “On my own behalf, and on behalf of all the Israeli people, I want to say thank you to the commanders, and to the service men and women. The calm here is not taken for granted, the children and the families who are now enjoying the summer holiday do so thanks to you.”

The President told reporters who accompanied his visit, “We are not interested in an escalation. Just as the other side wants to live in peace and live comfortable lives, so do we. At the same time, we are ready to face any hostility toward us. I am impressed by the readiness of the IDF to face any challenge in order to safeguard Israel’s security. I can say to the citizens of Israel, the IDF is prepared and ready to face any threat above or below ground in order to prevent any trouble not just around Gaza, but across the country.”

The President later met with council heads from the Negev and the southern region.

A group of 233 Olim (newcomers) landed Wednesday morning in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport on an El Al Boeing 777 chartered by Nefesh B’Nefesh to begin new lives in Israel. The flight celebrated the Aliyah of the 50,000th newcomer through the Nefesh B’Nefesh organization, which was founded in 2002. Among the newcomers were 75 “lone soldiers” who will become Israeli citizens and volunteer to serve in the IDF. The flight was a collaborative project of Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah & Immigrant Absorption, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel, JNF-USA and Tzofim-Garin Tzabar.

More than half of the 75 soon-to-be soldiers are young women. Rebecca Glanzer, 22, from Brooklyn, NY, graduated recently from Columbia University with a degree in economics and is hoping to serve in the IDF’s Artillery Brigade. “I have been looking forward to making Aliyah and serving as a lone soldier in the IDF for so many years, and it is so crazy to me that this dream I had in high school is finally being realized,” said Glanzer. She then explained: “What drew me to Israel was the community and sense of belonging that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. Being the 50,000th person to make Aliyah with Nefesh B’Nefesh only affirms for me that I am part of something bigger, joining the thousands of people who took the opportunity to live a more meaningful and more Jewish life in Israel. I can’t believe it’s finally happening.”

The flight included a diverse mix of people from 22 US states and one Canadian province, including 24 families, 78 children and 10 medical professionals. The ages ranged from three and a half weeks to 85 years old.

Nefesh B’Nefesh’s 50,000 Oleh Rebecca Glanzer with (L-R) Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, President Reuven Rivlin, Minister of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver, and Tony Gelbart, co-founder of Nefesh B’Nefesh / Photo credit: Shahar Azran

“This is such an honor for me to join you at this special moment, The moment you have all come home,” President Reuven Rivlin said at the ceremony welcoming the group. He continued, “You are no longer Jews in exile, you are now all Israelis. Each of you, young and old, men and women, have fulfilled the dream of 2000 years, you have made Aliyah.”

“I know the decision to make Aliyah is not easy, leaving behind family and friends, looking for work, starting in new schools, learning a new language. There are challenges ahead but we are all here to support you and help you build your new home,” the President said.

Minister of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver told the newcomers that “the State of Israel salutes the young people who chose to leave their comfortable lives in North America in order to make the greatest contribution to the country’s national security and its people. I congratulate them and the other Olim who make Aliyah as a result of the cooperation between the Ministry and our partner in Aliyah, Nefesh B’Nefesh. I’m confident, and I promise, that the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption will accompany these Olim and take care of them throughout their entire integration process.”

Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, pointed out that “every single family and individual we bring to Israel who decides to make Aliyah is such a special thing for us as an organization, but when you see so many brave young men and women from North America sacrifice so much and voluntarily leave their families because they feel a yearning desire to serve in the IDF and defend Israel, that’s powerful.”

He reminisced how “back in 2002 when Tony Gelbart and I founded this organization, we couldn’t have imagined bringing 50,000 Jews from North America to Israel to fulfill their dreams and the dreams of the Jewish people. And we’re not stopping anytime soon.”

Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel Natan Sharansky said, “We are proud of our partnership with Nefesh B’Nefesh, and every new planeload of North American Olim strengthens and enriches our country. The immigrants arriving from the United States and Canada are coming not out of distress but rather out of excitement to take part in the greatest national project of the Jewish people, said. We must ensure that the State of Israel remains a place in which every Jew feels at home, a place that ignites Jews’ imagination and strengthens their identity and security. I would particularly like to welcome the dozens of young people who are choosing to build their lives in Israel: your success is our success, and your future is our future. Welcome home!”

Gary Vitkin, CEO of Tzofim Tzabar Olami, said, “The touching stories of the participants are inspiring and encourage us to continue to give them the warm hug that they deserve, these young adults from all over the world come to Israel to serve in the IDF as Lone Soldiers. One of the most meaningful accomplishments of Tzofim – Garin Tzabar that is in collaboration with The Jewish Agency, Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, the Kibbutz Movement and Nefesh B’Nefesh is the unique dynamic that is formed by the teens is made possible by these organizations and I am happy to see that this success is translated to building a future in Israel.”