Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he feels “very good”.
From
JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press
Jul 15, 2023 10:25 am ET
• 3 min reading
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that he was feeling “very well” after being hospitalized after doctors said he might be suffering from dehydration.
But doctors ordered him to stay in hospital overnight for further observation, and his weekly cabinet meeting had been pushed back a day and rescheduled for Monday, his office said.
Netanyahu’s office said he was taken to the hospital after experiencing mild dizziness. It said he had spent the previous day in the heat at the Sea of Galilee, a popular vacation spot in northern Israel, and after a series of tests the initial assessment was that the veteran Israeli leader was dehydrated.
Later on Saturday, a smiling Netanyahu made a video statement from the hospital saying he had been in the sun with no hat and no water on Friday. “Not a good idea,” he said.
“Thank God I feel very good,” he added, thanking the medical team at Israel’s Sheba Hospital and the public for their messages of support.
He said he had “one request” – that people drink water and stay out of the sun.
Israel is in the midst of a summer heat wave with temperatures hovering in the mid 30s Celsius (mid 90s Fahrenheit).
Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving leader. He has served multiple terms spanning 15 years in office. His current far-right government, a conglomeration of religious and ultra-nationalist parties, took office last December.
Netanyahu is said to be in generally good health, although he was briefly hospitalized last October after feeling unwell during prayers on Yom Kippur, a day when devout Jews fast.
The Israeli leader is under pressure on several fronts.
He is on trial on multiple corruption charges, a case that has bitterly divided the nation. His government’s tough policy towards the Palestinians has drawn international criticism and soured relations with the United States, Israel’s closest and most important ally.
At home, tens of thousands of Israelis have demonstrated weekly against Netanyahu’s government to protest his plan to reform the country’s judiciary.
Netanyahu’s allies say the plan is necessary to curb the power of unelected judges. However, opponents say the plan will destroy the country’s fragile system of separation of powers 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.