Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent successful surgery to implant a pacemaker at Ramat Gan’s Sheba Medical Center on Sunday morning, a week after he was fitted with a pacemaker. hospitalized due to dehydration and a heart monitoring device was implanted, and on the eve of decisive Knesset vote Passing into law the first of the government’s highly controversial judicial reform bills.
Around 4 am, the hospital said that Prof. Roy Beinart and Prof. The procedure, performed by Eyal Knopf, completed successfully and without complications, adding that the premier is in good condition and that he will “remain in the cardiology department at Sheba for observation.” The Prime Minister’s Office similarly said that the operation was completed successfully, he is feeling well and is expected to be discharged on Sunday.
A pacemaker is a device that stimulates one’s heart so that it can be controlled or increased if the heartbeat is too slow or irregular. According to American Hospital, it usually takes several hours to implant and recipients are usually discharged from the hospital the same day or the next. Mayo Clinic and UK National Health Service,
A week ago, Netanyahu, 73, was hospitalized on Friday after complaining of dizziness following a trip to the Sea of Galilee from Saturday to Sunday, where he admitted to spending several hours “without a hat, without water” in the sun and scorching heat.
At the time, Sheeba said that doctors had completed a series of examinations and found that the prime minister’s heart was “completely normal”, and that “cardiac arrhythmias were not detected at any point.” However, it added that the doctors “decided, as is customary, to use a subcutaneous Holter” – a device that monitors one’s heart and warns if there are irregularities.
In a video message shortly before 1 a.m., Netanyahu said, “A week ago they installed a surveillance device. That device beeped this evening and said I needed a pacemaker. I have to do it tonight. I’m feeling great, but I’m listening to my doctors.”
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the architect of the overhaul, served as acting prime minister during Netanyahu’s surgery, which required the prime minister to be temporarily sedated. Since Netanyahu refrained from appointing a permanent caretaker prime minister And his replacement is selected on a case-by-case basis, with ministers approving Levine’s appointment by phone vote.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Justice Minister Yariv Levin at the Knesset in Jerusalem on June 7, 2023. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)
Netanyahu said his physicians had told him he expected to be released from the hospital in time to take part in a planned vote on the coalition’s controversial “rationality” bill. The Knesset was set to begin debating the bill on Sunday morning, ahead of its second and third – and final – readings, expected on Monday or Tuesday.
The legislation, part of a wider plan to overhaul the judiciary, has drawn strong opposition thousands of people are protesting and many are setting up a tent city near the Knesset, while about 10,000 reservists He said he would stop his volunteer duty If it is passed into law.
The weekly cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday morning has been delayed for an undisclosed amount. Major security discussions were also postponed—including a reportedly planned meeting between the Prime Minister and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on the impact of the “rationalization” bill and the threats the reservists pose to Israel’s security.
In his video statement, Netanyahu said he was in constant talks with politicians and hoped to reach an agreement with the opposition on the bill, although Hebrew media reports on Saturday indicated there had been no contact over the weekend with opposition party leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz.
Netanyahu’s surgery came amid growing criticism over a lack of transparency on the prime minister’s medical condition and the fact that during his previous hospitalizations, information was only released by the hospital in coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office or by the office itself.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and his wife Sara during a vacation near the Sea of Galilee on July 14, 2023. (Courtesy; Used as per section 27A of the Copyright Act)
Netanyahu heads an unprecedented hardline Israeli coalition government that has endured more than six months of internal protests over plans to overhaul the judiciary. The law blocking judicial scrutiny over the “rationality” of politicians’ decisions is the first overhaul bill to move forward after Netanyahu temporarily halted the legislative assault in late March. At the end of the month the Knesset breaks for summer recess.
The planned overhaul has put his relationship with the US in jeopardy, with President Joe Biden refusing to invite him to the White House and publicly expressing concern for the fate of Israeli democracy.
Netanyahu has also been embroiled in a lengthy corruption trial, accusing him of three counts of fraud and breach of trust and one of bribery. He denies all the allegations and says that he is a victim of political witchcraft.
In October, Netanyahu was hospitalized at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center after feeling unwell during Yom Kippur synagogue services. He was released the next morning after undergoing tests and being kept under observation overnight.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
