Shimon Peres (help·info) (Hebrew: שמעון פרס, born Szymon Perski on August 2, 1923) is the ninth and current President of the State Israel. Peres has long been a popular and important politician in Israel - he previously served two times as Prime Minister of Israel, one time as Acting Prime Minister, and has served in 12 cabinets over a political career lasting over 66 years. Peres was elected to the Knesset in November 1959 and, except for a three-month-long hiatus in early 2006, served continuously until 2007, when he became President.