Netanyahu to undergo sedated medical exam; Justice Minister to temporarily lead
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo a “routine medical examination” on Friday, during which he is expected to be sedated, his office said.
Benjamin Netanyahu Pic: Abir Sultan/AP
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who also serves as deputy prime minister, will act as premier during the procedure, while Defence Minister Israel Katz will temporarily oversee the security cabinet.
The check-up follows a series of health issues for Netanyahu, 75, including prostate surgery in December, when Levin similarly stepped in. That operation followed a test revealing a urinary tract infection caused by an enlarged prostate.
In March, Netanyahu underwent hernia surgery under full anesthesia and later missed work due to the flu. In 2023, he had a pacemaker implanted after doctors diagnosed a long-standing heart conduction problem. That surgery came days after he was hospitalised for dehydration, though doctors later linked the incident to an undiagnosed heart issue.
Netanyahu’s most recent public medical report, issued in January 2023, described him as in a “completely normal state of health,” with no signs of arrhythmia and the pacemaker functioning properly. The document, however, was not an official government health report but rather a summary compiled by his personal medical team.
Despite government protocols urging prime ministers to release annual health summaries, Netanyahu issued no such report between 2016 and 2023, and none has been released this year. Those protocols are not legally binding, and he cannot be compelled to disclose his medical history.
Netanyahu’s office has not said how long Friday’s exam is expected to take, nor when he will resume his duties.
Following the prostate surgery, Netanyahu made headlines when he left the Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Centre over the objections of his doctors to personally cast his vote on the “Trapped Profits Law.” It passed by a vote of 59-58. Netanyahu was accompanied by his physician, Dr. Zvi Berkowitz, in the Knesset plenum.
During his presidential term, Ronald Reagan had a colonoscopy which was transmitted worldwide during the procedure. If prime minister Netanyahu is to have a colonoscopy, I wonder his will be transmitted and make for riveting television.