Israel’s Netanyahu rushed to hospital, his office says he felt dizzy and was likely dehydrated

By JOSEF FEDERMAN
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was rushed on Saturday to a hospital after feeling dizzy, his office said, adding that it appeared the veteran Israeli leader was suffering from dehydration.

Netanyahu, 73, remained at Israel’s Sheba Hospital, where he continued to undergo medical tests, his office said.

In a joint statement with the hospital, his office said Netanyahu had visited the Sea of Galilee, a popular vacation spot in northern Israel, on Friday. The country is in the midst of a summer heat wave, with temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit).

According to the statement, Netanyahu began to feel “mild dizziness” on Saturday and his doctor instructed him to go to Sheba Hospital, near the city of Tel Aviv. The hospital is well over half an hour away from Netanyahu’s seaside residence in the coastal town of Caesaria.

“Preliminary tests came out normal and nothing abnormal was found,” the statement said. “The initial assessment is dehydration.”

It said that doctors had recommended he remain in the hospital for further testing.

Netanyahu is Israel’s longest serving leader. He 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.

Netanyahu is said to be in generally good health, though he was briefly hospitalized 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 hard-line policies toward Palestinians have drawn international criticism and antagonized relations with the United States, Israel’s closest and most important ally.

At home, tens of thousands of Israelis have held weekly demonstrations against Netanyahu’s government to protest his plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary.

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 Netanyahu and his allies.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid issued a statement wishing Netanyahu a “full recovery and good health.”

“Feel better,” Lapid said on Twitter.