Peres gets viral, dives into social media with presidential YouTube channel

President Shimon Peres launched his own YouTube channel yesterday, in an effort to communicate with Israelis as well as citizens of countries with which Israel does not have diplomatic ties.

Peres announced his new channel at a press conference at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, alongside YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, who is currently visiting Israel.

Peres announced that his YouTube channel will be a forum in which he will be able to speak with people in countries with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations.

The channel will also host virtual press conferences where Web surfers will be invited to ask the president questions.

Peres extends an invitation for dialogue on his new channel. "Please join me in finding solutions to three key issues: how to advance peace in the Middle East and the world, how to further reconciliation between different faiths and how to harness new technologies for the good of mankind," Peres writes on the channel's main page.

Peres noted the importance of the web in today's society. "The Internet fundamentally changed the way we communicate with one another. As a man who believes in the power of technology, I am excited at the prospect of dialogue with the citizens of Israel and the world," he said.