Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Israel appeared on the floor of the Israeli parliament on Tuesday for a crucial budget vote, despite objections from doctors after undergoing prostate surgery on Sunday evening, the Israeli news agency Tazbet Press Service reported.
Netanyahu (75 years old) was accompanied to the full session of the Knesset by his personal physician, Dr. Zvi Berkowitz, and appeared in good spirits when he took his seat for a short appearance. The Israeli leader underwent surgery on Sunday to remove his prostate after suffering a urinary tract infection, which was reported to be “stemming from a benign enlargement of the prostate,” according to Netanyahu’s office.
Two parties in Israel's ruling coalition have threatened to vote against the “Embattled Profits Law” if their demands are not met.
Despite the objection of his doctor, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to hold a decisive vote in his country's parliament. Netanyahu is recovering from the operation. (Yoav Dudkiewicz/TPS-IL)
The bill would allow the government to tax so-called “retained earnings”, which are profits held by corporations and multinational corporations to reinvest in business growth, infrastructure and research. Until now, retained earnings were tax-free to encourage investments.
Failure to pass the bill could jeopardize approval of the state budget, which must be approved by March 31 or the government will automatically fall, triggering national elections.
The United Torah Judaism Party, which controls seven seats in the Knesset, said it would vote against the bill as a warning about the government's failure to push through legislation that exempts Haredim, or Orthodox Jewish citizens, from military service.
The issue of exempting the Haredim has sparked heated debate in recent months. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began making plans to recruit yeshiva students after Israel's High Court of Justice ruled in June that exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox community were illegal, according to the TPS.
The leader of the United Torah Judaism party, Minister Rabbi Yitzhak Goldknopf, insists that the party will continue its opposition without progress on the exemption bill.
The Otzma Yehudit party, which also controls seven seats, is also in opposition.
Its leader, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, is demanding an increase in the budget of the police, prison service and firefighting agencies, and has pledged to vote against the bill until his demands are met, according to TPS.
Netanyahu's government consists of seven parties with 68 seats out of 120.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Knesset to vote. (Yoav Dudkiewicz/TPS-IL)
Netanyahu’s office announced on Sunday that the surgery “ended successfully and without complications.”
The Israeli leader has undergone several health procedures over the past two years. In March Netanyahu He underwent a hernia operation Under full anesthesia, Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin temporarily took over his position during the operation.
Months before the October 7 attacks, Netanyahu He suffered from dehydration He was hospitalized in July 2023. The Israeli leader said he became dehydrated after visiting the Sea of Galilee without water or protection from the sun during a heatwave.
A week after he was hospitalized due to dehydration, Netanyahu's doctors implanted a pacemaker to regulate the heart's rhythm His heart rate And rhythm.
The latest operation came from Netanyahu, a 75-year-old politician He continues to testify In a corruption case filed against him in Israel. He took the stand earlier in December and is expected to continue testifying into the new year.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Israeli Knesset just one day after the dangerous operation. (Yoav Dudkiewicz/TPS-IL)
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Netanyahu also currently leads the Israeli army on multiple fronts The Middle EastAnd continue targeting Iranian terrorists and their agents.
The Israeli army recently launched several raids against houthi rebels, Yemen's Sana'a International Airport and Houthi infrastructure at the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Qanatab were struck.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces also conducted several precision strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi targets in Sanaa and coastal sites within Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen on December 30 and 31, Fox News has learned.
These strikes are part of US Central Command's efforts to weaken Iran-backed Houthi efforts to threaten regional partners and military and commercial ships in the region.
Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
