Netanyahu undergoes successful emergency hernia operation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent an emergency hernia operation overnight Saturday.

The procedure went smoothly, doctors said, adding that the prime minister was recovering nicely.

The premier, 63, was said to have felt pain around his navel, prompting his personal physician Tzvika Berkovich and surgeon Aryeh Durst to examine him. A CT scan showed he had an umbilical hernia. The decision to operate was made immediately, doctors said.

The procedure lasted about an hour, starting just after 2:30 a.m.

Local media said Netanyahu was in “good spirits” before the procedure, and that his blood pressure and pulse were normal. He hadn’t needed a wheelchair to take him to the operating room.

Netanyahu’s operation was performed at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital by a medical team led by Durst and Aviram Nissan, head of the surgery department. Netanyahu was first put under a local anesthetic during the operation, but was then placed under general anesthesia — making Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon Israel’s acting prime minister until Netanyahu fully recovers.

Netanyahu was expected to be discharged Sunday afternoon.

He was scheduled to oversee a ministerial meeting Sunday to finalize the first stage of the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the resumption of peace talks — but the Prime Minister’s Office said that the session would be chaired by Ya’alon.

His weekly cabinet meeting, regularly scheduled for Sunday mornings, has been postponed.

The second round of peace talk meetings, set to take place in Jerusalem and Jericho, are still scheduled for Wednesday.