Fears for Begin's Health

At his Haifa summit meeting with Menachem Begin, Anwar Sadat took aside his close Mend Israeli Defense Minister Ezer Weizman and asked him to "look after Begin." The Israeli Premier's health is indeed precarious: now 66, he has survived a heart attack, and is still recovering from a mild stroke he suffered last July, Worries over Begin's well-being could be an important factor in Sadat's determination to move forward on the peace agreement with Israel as soon as possible. His health is also a matter of increasing concern to Israelis, who wonder how long the ailing Premier can remain in office.

Shortly before the Haifa summit, TIME Correspondent David Halevy learned last week, Begin took a day off from his governmental duties. He was driven to a secluded laboratory, where three non-Israeli neurological experts examined him. One of the specialists was Dr. Jack Fein, a prominent brain surgeon at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

After the examination, the doctors recommended that Begin restrict himself to a three-hour workday and try to rest as much as possible. They apparently feared that the medication that Begin takes for his heart condition has affected his body's ability to recover from the stroke. "I am concerned about Mr. Begin's health," said Dr. Fein, "but I admire his courage." Begin is now forced to spend far fewer hours in his office than any previous Israeli Premier. For Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin, 18-hour days were normal. By contrast, Begin usually arrives at 8:30 in the morning and leaves between 11:30 and noon. He often returns in late afternoon for another hour or so, but since his stroke he has done this less frequently. Aides say that he works at home, but Begin has seldom seen any Israeli official, politician or even family friends at his Jerusalem house since the stroke.

Begin seems less and less in control of his fractious ministers. At the Cabinet meeting that led to the bitter exchange between Yadin and Sharon, the Premier admitted that he had not read the minutes of the committee report on the settlements, despite the fact that they had been sent to his home. Even one of Begin's protective aides admits deep concern: "It seems that his physical condition is deteriorating quickly. I do not know when, but he will have to quit the premiership. It might happen tomorrow, next week--or next year."

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