Israeli President Shimon Peres was taken to hospital after briefly passing out during a ceremony in Tel Aviv, a spokeswoman for the office of the 86-year-old Nobel peace laureate said.
Mr Peres's personal physician, who was attending him, was quoted by Israeli media as saying the head of state was not gravely ill and would probably just spend a night in hospital under observation before returning to his duties.
‘His condition is satisfactory,’ Dr Rafi Valdan, who is also Mr Peres's son-in-law, said.
Mr Peres was elected to the largely ceremonial office of president by parliament in 2007.
In that capacity, he has continued to speak out in the cause of peace with the Palestinians and other Arab neighbours, although his interim peace deal has yet to produce a final settlement of conflict with the Palestinians.
