Netanyahu undergoes ‘routine colonoscopy’; Levin fills in as acting PM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent a successful routine colonoscopy on Friday morning at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, his office said.

The PMO did not say whether Netanyahu was under general anesthesia or moderate sedation during the procedure.

The cabinet appointed Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who also holds the post of deputy prime minister, as the acting premier during the check-up.

Defense Minister Israel Katz temporarily headed the security cabinet.

The examination came after Netanyahu had his prostate removed in late December, with Levin similarly filling in as premier during the surgery. Netanyahu, 75, was operated on days after he underwent a test at a Jerusalem hospital that revealed a urinary tract infection stemming from a benign enlargement of the prostate.

In March 2024, the premier was put under full anesthesia to undergo surgery for a hernia. That same month, he missed several days of work after contracting the flu.

In 2023, he underwent surgery to have a pacemaker installed after suffering a transient heart block. The surgery came a week after he was hospitalized for what he said at the time was dehydration. Doctors subsequently revealed that the prime minister has had a heart conduction problem for years.

A medical report released in January 2023, the last shared with the public, said Netanyahu was in a “completely normal state of health,” that his pacemaker was working correctly and that there was no evidence of heart arrhythmia or any other problematic conditions.

Despite protocols requiring prime ministers to release such health reports annually, Netanyahu did not release one between 2016 and late 2023, and has not done so this year. He could not be legally forced to share his health information as these protocols, developed by the Prime Minister’s Office, are not enshrined in law.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.