Peacenik and war-criminal: The many sides of Shimon Peres

While doctors treat former Israeli President Shimon Peres in a Tel Aviv hospital following his stroke on Tuesday, figures from media, politics and the arts are already reflecting on his legacy.

Peres is one of Israel's most recognisable figures, and during his six decades in politics held some of the country's leading posts.

He served as president between 2007 and 2014, prime minister twice, minister of defence, and filled 12 cabinet posts.

Peres has been viewed as a "dove" by much of the international media, in part due to the lead role he took in getting Palestine Liberation Organisation leader Yassir Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to sign the Oslo Accords in 1993.

Throughout his career, he has been a politician who could elicit strong feelings from both Israel's left and right.

While many of his countrymen saw him as "soft", Palestinians and Lebanese will never forget his role in heading the Israeli war machine, and the Qana Massacre in southern Lebanon.

— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) September 14, 2016" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post We cannot allow complicit and lazy media to whitewash the crimes of Shimon Peres. He's from the generation that planned/perpetrated Nakba. — Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) September 14, 2016

— Ben White (@benabyad) September 14, 2016 " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post On 18/4/96, Israeli forces killed 106 Lebanese civilians in the Qana massacre. Shimon Peres was PM. Later, he said: "I am at peace with it." — Ben White (@benabyad) September 14, 2016

— Carlos Latuff (@LatuffCartoons) September 13, 2016 " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Shimon Peres, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in #Gaza, 2009 pic.twitter.com/OhS9l6RCNk — Carlos Latuff (@LatuffCartoons) September 13, 2016

Yet the overarching consensus among media figures is that his finest moment has been in helping orchestrate the famous handshake between Arafat and Rabin on the White House lawn.

— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) September 14, 2016 " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Israel and the world needs the words of wisdom of Shimon Peres. Hope he will make a speedy recovery. https://t.co/pO6ZOK5612 — Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) September 14, 2016

— Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) September 13, 2016 " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Get Well Shimon Peres, Man of Peace — Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) September 13, 2016

Even in recent months, Peres has been able to hit the headlines.

— BWD (@theonlyadult) September 4, 2016 " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Trump’s Idea of America Is ‘Unbelievable,’ Ignore It, Peres Says https://t.co/MaCB7pjNoB via @markets — BWD (@theonlyadult) September 4, 2016

But as long as two years ago, he appeared to be preparing for his declining health.

— Shimon Peres (@PresidentPeres) May 9, 2014 " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post "I always knew the day will come to say good bye But now when it is here no wonder I am worried..." http://t.co/XNV0RMVMEx. #ShabbatShalom — Shimon Peres (@PresidentPeres) May 9, 2014

— Raoul Wootliff (@RaoulWootliff) September 14, 2016 " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post When Peres sang this in 2014 it felt like it was his own sentiments. Now it feels like ours https://t.co/RSN30zNv9l — Raoul Wootliff (@RaoulWootliff) September 14, 2016