On Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to go to the hospital for a routine check-up. Who doesn't go to the hospital for routine check-ups on Saturdays?
During that check-up, which his people stressed was routine – meaning it is done from time to time without any special reason – it turned out that Netanyahu suffers from a hernia. They did not specify whether it was a recurring umbilical hernia where he was previously operated on in 2013, or a new hernia in the lower abdomen. They only informed the concerned citizens that a hernia was found and that it required surgery.
Let's ignore the fact that a routine hernia, which apparently did not cause pain, should not require someone to be rushed into surgery. This is not the first time Netanyahu has gone to the hospital on a Saturday. The previous time, about a year ago, it was reported that he had been vacationing at the Sea of Galilee without a hat, felt unwell, was then had to be rushed to the hospital, and had a device implanted in his body to monitor his heart. Later, the device beeped, and in another procedure, he was fitted with a pacemaker. Also, in recent years, his office published that he underwent a colonoscopy, and polyps were removed from the intestine and sent for examination. To the best of my recollection, it was not reported to the public that the test came back normal. Again, I emphasize – I wish him an abundance of health and a speedy recovery.
I would not have needed the prime minister's medical record if we behaved like the advanced countries we so want to emulate. In the US, the medical condition of the presidential candidate and the president is routinely published, and likewise in the UK – including which pills they take, if any, and what their blood work shows.
For example: Following President Joe Biden's latest checkup in February 2024 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, six pages were published detailing the various tests he had undergone, including vision, hearing, neurology, orthopedics, radiology, skin, cardiology, dentistry, and physiotherapy.
In each area, he was examined by a specialist, and the result was published. The detailed report stated that Biden is receiving treatment for several issues, such as obstructive sleep apnea, reflux, seasonal allergies, and sinusitis. It was also reported that due to the president's slow gait, a team of experts was assembled to examine the president and determined that it all stemmed from degenerative changes in the spine, consistent with his age. They even reported his blood pressure readings: 132/78. We also wish him good health.
And us? Nothing. What do we know about the health of the prime minister, who is celebrating his 75th birthday this year, other than what his office releases? Does he routinely take pills, and if so – for what? His personal physician examines him, and the office reports that his condition is excellent. But then, in a routine check-up, it is found that he needs a pacemaker and hernia surgery. This, in my opinion, is the reason there are rumors surrounding his health. In the absence of information, the imagination works overtime.
Therefore, and since our prime ministers do not volunteer to publicly release a detailed report, the Knesset would be smart to make it a requirement. The times when a prime minister would seclude himself at home and others would run the country, as in the case of Menachem Begin; or like in the case of Golda Meir, who underwent cancer treatments and no one knew, are over.
We want to know, because all of us, each one of us, knows how much our state of health affects our lives. This impact is that much greater when this health pertains to the man in charge
