Israeli PM Netanyahu gets pacemaker as vote nears on key judicial overhaul

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu had a cardiac pacemaker successfully inserted early on Sunday after he was admitted to hospital last week.

The procedure comes as Israel is in the midst of one of its most contentious internal debates over his government’s plan to reduce the power of the judiciary to oversee political decisions.

The premier (73) will be under observation at the cardiac unit and expected to be discharged later in the day, according to a statement from his office. The weekly Sunday cabinet meeting has been cancelled.

Mr Netanyahu was taken to hospital a week ago for what his office described as dehydration. In a brief videotaped statement, Mr Netanyahu said he had been fitted with a monitoring device last week. An alarm on the device beeped on Saturday night, meaning he needed a pacemaker immediately.

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On Saturday night, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took part in demonstrations opposing the government’s plan to reduce judicial power, notably a Bill due for final passage in coming days that would ban judges from invalidating a government decision or appointment because it is “unreasonable”.

The Bill’s supporters – led by Mr Netanyahu’s religious, right-wing coalition – say it leads to abusive activism by judges; opponents say it is a vital tool of a branch of government needed to rein in populist political moves.

Thousands of reservists – vital to military operations – have said in recent days they will refrain from their volunteer service if the Bill becomes law. More than 100 top former heads of various security services, many of whom worked directly for Mr Netanyahu, have called on him to halt the legislation.

Yossi Cohen, who was once Mr Netanyahu’s chief of the Mossad spy agency, wrote a column in Yediot Aharonot newspaper on Sunday calling on him to stop the Bill in the name of national security.

Key members of the governing coalition have been pushing back, saying that to do so would be yielding to blackmail, and the reservists should be condemned. Parliament is due to debate the Bill on Sunday for passage as early as Monday.

The fight over the judiciary is complicated by the fact that Mr Netanyahu himself is under indictment for fraud and bribery and his government includes extremists on the right who advocate policies that the courts, using reasonableness, would be able to stop.

If the Bill does become law, the Supreme Court will be asked to invalidate it, posing what many believe will be a constitutional crisis. – Bloomberg