Israeli PM rushed to hospital after fainting – media

Benjamin Netanyahu is said to be in “good condition” but suffering from dehydration

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was rushed to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan on Saturday on his doctor’s orders after he reportedly lost consciousness. 

The leader was determined to be suffering from dehydration but was assessed to be in “good condition” following a medical evaluation, according to his office. Hospital sources told Haaretz he was “conscious and walking independently,” and doctors have reportedly ordered further tests. 

Netanyahu had spent the previous day at the Sea of Galilee amid “high summer temperatures,” his office explained in a statement on Saturday, saying he had “complained of slight dizziness” on Saturday afternoon without mentioning any fainting. 

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In a video posted from the hospital, the PM added that he and his wife had spent the day “in the sun, without a hat, without water – not a good idea,” and advised the public to stay out of the sun and keep hydrated. Temperatures in Israel currently average in the mid-30s centigrade.

The 73-year-old prime minister is the country’s longest-serving leader. While he is not believed to have any chronic health problems, his office has not provided an annual update on his medical condition since 2016, despite longstanding protocol requiring such a report. 

Netanyahu was briefly hospitalized overnight in October after “feeling unwell” during prayers on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, with some reports indicating he had experienced chest pains.

It is not clear who would take over from Netanyahu if he became medically incapacitated. While he named Shas party head Aryeh Dery as his stand-in while he was unconscious receiving a colonoscopy in January, Dery was subsequently disqualified by the high court from serving as a government minister due to multiple criminal convictions for tax offenses and corruption, for which his plea bargain included retirement from politics.  

Netanyahu’s embattled government has struggled to push through a package of judicial reforms aimed at reducing the power of the Supreme Court. Despite massive public protests and the threat of mass insubordination among factions in the military, officials within his Likud party reportedly believe he plans to go ahead with the overhaul.

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