Israel's Netanyahu discharged from hospital and given all-clear

Prime Minister checked into Sheba Medical Centre on Saturday with dizziness

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was admitted to hospital on Sunday. AP
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was discharged from hospital on Sunday after being admitted the previous day for dehydration, with doctors saying he was in good health.

Mr Netanyahu, 73, was taken to Sheba Medical Centre in Tel Hashomer, near his private residence in coastal Caesarea, on Saturday.

On Sunday, his motor convoy was seen departing Sheba as Israeli media said he had been discharged.

He said late on Saturday he was better after feeling unwell following a day in the sun in the Sea of ​​Galilee, a freshwater lake and tourist hotspot, during an intense heatwave.

“Yesterday, I spent time with my wife in the Sea of ​​Galilee in the sun, without water, without a hat — not a good idea,” he said.

“Thank God, I feel extremely well.”

The hospital on Sunday confirmed its original diagnosis of dehydration and said additional tests involving a subcutaneous holter had found Mr Netanyahu to be "in complete cardiac health".

The usual Sunday cabinet meeting was delayed until Monday.

Mr Netanyahu's Likud Party said the initial assessment was dehydration after he had “complained of mild dizziness” on Saturday following the trip to the holiday spot.

He checked himself into the hospital on his doctor’s recommendation.

Israel joined Europe over the weekend enduring a scorching heatwave.

Mr Netanyahu urged Israelis to “spend less time in the sun, drink more water”.

He also thanked the medical team that examined him.

In October, Netanyahu was taken to a Jerusalem hospital, just before the last election, after feeling chest pains at a synagogue.

Mr Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, elected to a total of five terms, the first in 1996.

His current far-right government wants to diminish the power of the judiciary in a plan that has drawn hundreds of thousands of protesters to the streets in recent months.

On Saturday, tens of thousands of Israeli protesters took to the streets in Tel Aviv and elsewhere to protest the reforms advanced by the coalition.

The rallies took place days after parliament approved in its first reading a bill that would reduce the "reasonability" clause, through which the judiciary can strike down government decisions.

The proposals would also give the government a greater say in the appointment of judges.

"This is a battle for the country, we want to keep Israel democratic, and the dictatorship laws won't pass here," protester Nili Elezra, 54, told AFP.

"Things will be bad. People are already leaving, money is being lost, investors are fleeing, the world doesn't want to talk to us, nobody is happy with what's going on here."

Following stiff opposition and growing international criticism, including from US President Joe Biden, Mr Netanyahu ordered a "pause" in March to allow for talks on the proposals.

Updated: July 16, 2023, 11:10 AM