Mahmoud Abbas’s wife undergoes surgery in Israel
Doctors operate on Palestinian leader’s spouse over the weekend at medical center near Tel Aviv
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Doctors in Israel performed surgery on Amina Abbas, the wife of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, at a private clinic near Tel Aviv over the weekend, as tensions between Israel and the PA mounted over the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers by Palestinian terrorists.
The operation on Abbas’s leg was performed on Friday, and she was released on Sunday.
Abbas was hospitalized at the Assuta Medical Center in Ramat Hachayal, near Tel Aviv. Her stay in a private room at the clinic was kept under wraps and security guards were stationed to maintain her privacy round the clock. Other patients were unaware of the identity of the VIP in the private room and Hebrew media said hospital staff members were evasive when questioned.
The three teenagers — Eyal Yifrach, 19, Gil-ad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Frenkel, 19 — were abducted on Thursday night in the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he holds Abbas’s Palestinian Authority responsible for their well-being.
Security officials believe the three were captured by Palestinian terrorists while trying to hitch a ride home. Since early Friday, security forces have led a massive search effort for the three in the Hebron region, but no significant progress has yet been reported.
Israel occasionally allows Palestinians entry into Israel to receive medical treatments that are not available at hospitals in the PA.
Earlier this month Israel allowed the mother-in-law of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh into the country for medical treatment. The 68-year-old woman was granted entry from the Gaza Strip to receive cancer treatment at a Jerusalem hospital.
Last November, Haniyeh’s granddaughter also received treatment in Israel for an infection in her digestive tract. She later died in Gaza.
