Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers an announcement on the Palmachim Air Force Base near town of Rishon Lezion, Israel July 5, 2023.
Amir Cohen | Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday was rushed to a hospital, where he was assessed to be in “good condition” as he underwent a medical evaluation, his office said. Initial tests determined the Israeli leader was affected by dehydration.
An announcement from Netanyahu’s office said that he had spent Friday having fun with Israel’s Sea of Galilee at a time of high summer temperatures. It said he felt dizzy and his doctor instructed him to go to Sheba Hospital, near the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
The statement said initial tests found all the things to be sound, and that it appeared Netanyahu was affected by dehydration. It said doctors had ordered further tests.
Israel is currently within the midst of a heat wave, with temperatures within the mid-30 degrees Celsius, (mid-90s in Fahrenheit).
Netanyahu, 73, is Israel’s longest-serving leader. He has served multiple terms stretching over 15 years in office. His current far-right government, a set of non secular and ultranationalist parties, took office last December.
Netanyahu is alleged 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.
Tens of hundreds 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 required to rein in the facility of unelected judges. But his opponents say the plan will destroy the country’s fragile system of checks and balances and concentrate power within the hands of Netanyahu and his allies.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid issued an announcement wishing Netanyahu a “full recovery and good health.”
“Feel higher,” Lapid said on Twitter.
