Israel’s Netanyahu postpones visit to Türkiye, Southern Cyprus

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday postponed his trips to Türkiye and the Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus due to health concerns following the implantation of a pacemaker, local media reported.

Netanyahu was scheduled to have a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday.

The meeting would have been the first by an Israeli prime minister to Ankara since Ehud Olmert met Erdogan in 2008.

Netanyahu planned to visit Türkiye to discuss with President Erdogan a comprehensive evaluation of Ankara-Tel Aviv bilateral relations, covering various aspects, according to a Türkiye’s Communication Directorate Office statement.

Netanyahu had a successful pacemaker implant surgery early Sunday.

The operation was held at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan a week after Netanyahu was hospitalized for dehydration and had a heart monitoring device implanted and on the eve of a crucial parliament vote on a controversial judicial reform.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu's planned visit to the Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus on Tuesday has also been postponed, where he was scheduled to meet with President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

During Netanyahu's surgery, Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who was responsible for the judicial overhaul, temporarily assumed the role of acting prime minister.​​​​​​​