Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was rushed to the hospital early on Sunday for an emergency procedure regarding the implantation of a pacemaker, as the country is currently witnessing intense protests over his controversial judicial overhaul plan.
According to the Prime Minister's office, Netanyahu will be placed under sedation and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, would stand in for him as he undergoes the emergency procedure, AP reported.
Shortly before he was rushed to the hospital, Netanyahu said that he "feels excellent" and promised to push forward with his contentious plan, despite thousands of people taking to the streets to protest against a vote on Monday that will approve a major part of the judicial overhaul.
The health troubles for the Israeli PM seem more serious than initially indicated, as Netanyahu revealed that an alarm in a monitor in his office showed that he required a pacemaker urgently. This comes after Netanyahu was hospitalised for dehydration last week.
Meanwhile, protesters marched into Jerusalem and camped out near the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, over the judicial overhaul plan. Pressure on Netanyahu increased as over 100 retired security chiefs and military reservists threatened to stop reporting for duty if the government goes ahead with the plan.
About the controversial judicial reform plan
The political crisis in Israel started after Netanyahu and his religious and ultranationalist allies announced the judicial overhaul in January just days after forming their government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history.
The proposal has plunged Israel into its worst domestic crisis in decades. Business leaders, top economists and former security chiefs have all come out against the plan, saying it is pushing the country toward dictatorship.
The plan would give Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, and his allies the final say in appointing the nation’s judges. The government had initially sought to pass laws that would grant the Knesset, as Israel’s parliament is called, the authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit judicial review of laws.
But critics say the laws will remove Israel’s system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of the governing coalition, pushing it towards authoritarian rule. They also say that Netanyahu has a conflict of interest because of his corruption trial.
Late June, Netanyahu announced that he has dropped one of the most key parts of his controversial planned judicial overhaul amid protests that have been going on for months against his contentious plans.
However, this decision was apparently unable to satisfy protest leaders, who said that these changes have not gone far enough and their demonstrations will continue to be organised against the legal overhaul.
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