Israeli PM Netanyahu still in hospital after dizzy spell but ‘feeling very good’
16 July 2023, 09:54
The 73-year-old was taken ill on Saturday after spending the day at the Sea of Galilee, where temperatures climbed to 40C amid a heatwave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still undergoing tests in hospital on Sunday after suffering a dizzy spell but was expected to be discharged later in the day, his office said.
The 73-year-old was taken to hospital on Saturday after feeling mild dizziness.
His office said test results on Sunday were normal and that Mr Netanyahu was feeling “very good”.
The Sheba Medical Centre said Mr Netanyahu is in “excellent” condition after a series of tests, including cardiovascular ones, adding that the prime minister’s medical team will continue to monitor him after his release.
His office said he had spent the previous day at the Sea of Galilee, a popular holiday spot in northern Israel where temperatures climbed to about 40C (104F) amid a stifling country-wide heatwave.
After a series of tests, the initial assessment was that the veteran Israeli leader was dehydrated.
After being admitted to hospital, Mr Netanyahu released a video on social media on Saturday night.
Smiling, he said he had been out in the sun on Friday without wearing a hat and without water. “Not a good idea,” he said.
Doctors ordered him to remain in hospital overnight for further observation, and his weekly Cabinet meeting was delayed by a day and rescheduled for Monday, his office said.
Mr Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving leader and has served multiple terms stretching over 15 years in office.
His current far-right government, a collection of religious and ultranationalist parties, took office last December.
He is said to be in generally good health, though he was briefly admitted to hospital last October after feeling unwell during prayers on Yom Kippur, a day when observant Jews fast.
The Israeli leader faces pressure on multiple fronts.
He is on trial for multiple corruption charges in a case that has bitterly divided the nation.
His government’s hardline policies toward Palestinians have drawn international criticism and antagonised relations with the United States, Israel’s closest and most important ally.
At home, tens of thousands of Israelis have held weekly demonstrations against his government in protest at his plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary.
Mr Netanyahu’s allies say the plan is needed to rein in the power of unelected judges. But his opponents say the plan will destroy the country’s fragile system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of the prime minister and his allies.
