TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still undergoing tests in hospital on Sunday after suffering a dizzy spell, but is expected to be released later in the day, his office said.
Netanyahu, 73, was rushed to hospital on Saturday after feeling mildly dizzy. His office said Sunday’s test results were normal and Netanyahu was feeling “very well.”
The Sheba Medical Center, where he was hospitalized, said Netanyahu was in “excellent” condition after a series of tests, including cardiovascular tests, adding that the prime minister’s medical team would continue to monitor him after his release.
Netanyahu’s office said he spent the previous day at the Sea of Galilee, a popular vacation spot in northern Israel where temperatures soared to around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) amid a nationwide sweltering heat wave. After a series of tests, the initial assessment was that the veteran Israeli leader was dehydrated.
After being hospitalized, Netanyahu posted a video on social media last night. Smiling, he said he went out in the sun on Friday without a hat and without water. “It’s not a good idea,” he said.
Doctors ordered him to stay in hospital overnight for further observation, and his weekly cabinet meeting was delayed by a day and rescheduled for Monday, his office said.
Netanyahu is Israel’s longest serving leader. He served multiple terms spanning 15 years in power. His current far-right government, a collection 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 observant Jews fast.
The Israeli leader faces pressure on several fronts.
He is on trial on multiple corruption charges in a case that has bitterly divided the nation. His government’s hardline policies toward the Palestinians have drawn international criticism and strained relations with the United States, Israel’s closest and most important ally.
At home, tens of thousands of Israelis have staged weekly demonstrations against Netanyahu’s government to protest his plans to overhaul the country’s justice system.
Netanyahu’s allies say the plan is necessary to limit the power of unelected judges. But his opponents say the plan will destroy the country’s fragile system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his allies.