Netanyahu postpones this week's trip to Turkey and Cyprus due to health issues

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed his scheduled week of travel to Cyprus and Turkey due to recent health issues which led to a surgery for a pacemaker implant on Sunday.

Netanyahu was originally set to fly to Cyprus on Tuesday for a meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He was then slated to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for talks on Sunday in what would have been the first official visit by an Israeli prime minister to Ankara since Ehud Olmert in 2008.

Netanyahu underwent pacemaker surgery at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv on Sunday, however, his spokesperson downplayed the premier’s health issues.

“The prime minister must be under observation, as is standard for such a procedure,” according to spokesperson Topaz Luk. “The visits will be rescheduled soon,” he added.

“As you see, I'm doing excellent,” Netanyahu said in a brief video posted on social media some 12 hours after the surgery, looking visibly worn out.

Netanyahu's postponed trip to Ankara was reportedly Erdoğan's latest diplomatic move to play a potential role in mediating talks between the Jewish state and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Netanyahu and PA chief Mahmoud Abbas were both slated to meet with Erdoğan in Ankara but at separate times.

“President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will welcome the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Turkey in the course of the same week,” the Turkish presidency announced earlier this week.

“The leaders will discuss “Turkey-Palestine relations and the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as other topical international issues,” according to the statement.

In 2022, Israel and Turkey renewed full diplomatic ties after years of strained bilateral relations.

There is no official information regarding when Netanyahu and Erdoğan will meet.