Rabat – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was hospitalized on Sunday for “normal medical tests,” in his third hospital visit in less than a week.
International press reported that Abbas underwent a minor ear surgery last Tuesday. The president was then hospitalized overnight on Saturday and Sunday, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. He returned to the hospital again later on Sunday.
Saed al-Sharahneh, medical director of the Istishari Hospital in Ramallah, said that the president went for normal medical tests on Sunday and reassured the press of his medical condition.
The president, according to international media, is a heavy smoker and has been suffering health issues, including heart problems.
Conflicting reports as Mahmoud Abbas admitted to hospital for a third time in a week https://t.co/ONqRRq6Al0 pic.twitter.com/b13HGz6uxE
— The National (@TheNationalUAE) May 21, 2018
Abbas’s hospitalization followed a series of mass protests in Gaza, culminating on the day of the US embassy’s inauguration in Jerusalem May 14, when at least 58 people were killed by Israeli law enforcement.
Arab leaders and United Nations representatives condemned Israel’s violence against Palestinians and denounced the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem.
Last Monday, King Mohammed VI addressed a letter to Abbas, emphasizing his rejection of the US move. In his letter, the King said: “We follow with deep concern the implementation of the US administration’s decision to recognize Al-Quds [Jerusalem] as the capital of Israel and to move its embassy there.”
