Shimon Peres speaks on the crisis in the Middle East as he addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations during a visit to New York in this July 31, 2006 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

JERUSALEM -- Shimon Peres, former Israeli president and the nation's eldest statesman, passed away at a hospital outside Tel Aviv Wednesday morning, two weeks after he suffered a stroke, a spokesperson for the hospital confirmed to Xinhua.