Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in a Twitter video announcing the procedure but insisted he felt “great”. a controversial law to overhaul the judiciary that brought tens of thousands of protesters to the streets.
Mr. Netanyahu's operation was performed at Sheba Medical Center, his office said in a statement, while Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin stood in for him.
A week ago, Mr. Netanyahu, 73, was discharged from the same medical center after a night of hospitalization due to complaints of dizziness.
Mr. Netanyahu posted a video on Saturday afternoon announcing that he would be undergoing surgery, but insisted he was feeling “fine.”
Earlier this month, he spent the night in the hospital due to dehydration, he said, while on holiday on the Sea of Galilee without adequate protection from the heat.
After the stay, Mr. Netanyahu was fitted with a monitoring device that he said bleeped Saturday night, warning him that he would inevitably need a pacemaker.
>The medical procedure began as Mr. Netanyahu faced a domestic crisis in his record-breaking sixth term, as protests mount against his religious-nationalist coalition's push for judicial change.
Ten thousand reserve soldiers were the latest group to suspend their volunteer duties in protest of the planned overhaul.
Thousands of people protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Photo: REUTERS
The leaders of the Brothers and Arms group said at a press conference in Herzliya that their members would not volunteer, stating: “That's where we draw the line.”
They will join more than 1,100 Israeli Air Force reservists as the crisis continues to create deep divisions in the normally apolitical military.
“We've tried everything, and here we draw the line. We swore to serve the kingdom, not the king,” said Eyal Naveh, one of the Band of Brothers leaders, according to The Times of Israel.
This happened as tens of thousands of protesters marched on Sunday to the Israeli parliament building.
Drone footage of the march shows a column of people stretching for miles on foot marching towards Jerusalem, waving Israeli flags.
Israeli media estimates that up to 73,000 people joined the column of demonstrators, who endured the 35-degree heat during their five-day journey from Tel Aviv, located about 40 miles from Tel Aviv.
< img src="/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/4 5aa079d2f043d25d064039ae3dbe0ca.jpg" /> Netanyahu's planned judicial changes sparked outrage Photo: GETTY IMAGES
For the past 29 weeks, protesters have rallied against Netanyahu and his fragile far-right coalition's plan to overhaul the judiciary, which critics say will eliminate the checks and balances necessary for democracy.
While the protests managed to delay the bill's passage, the situation is reaching a climax this week.
The bill is due to pass its second and third readings in Parliament on Monday. If approved, this will be the first major component of the proposed legal reform to become law.
Other proposals include giving the government more say in appointing judges.
More than 1,100 Air Force reservists announced on Friday that they would suspend volunteer service if parliament passes the bill next week.
“We all have a responsibility to end the deep division, polarization and division among the people,” the reservists said in a statement signed by 235 fighter pilots, 173 drone operators and 85 paratroopers.
< p>Any law passed “unreasonably” would undermine my agreement to continue risking my life and force me, with great regret, to suspend my volunteer reserve service,” the signatories said.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he was “taking steps to reach a broad consensus.”
Mr. about “reasonableness”, which allows the court to have the power to overrule government decisions.
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