Israelis are worried about the health of Mubarak....

The last thing we need is political turmoil in Egypt...

Israeli officials are increasingly worried about the state of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's health, in light of the repeated postponements of Mubarak's planned meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was supposed to take place this week.

Last week, Haaretz reported that Mubarak has cancer. In March, the Egyptian president went to Germany for an operation that both his office and the hospital described as "complicated," though neither offered further details.

The two leaders were originally supposed to meet on Tuesday. Earlier this week, however, Netanyahu's office announced that Egypt had requested a one-day postponement due to "scheduling considerations." On Tuesday, Egypt requested another postponement, with the meeting now slated to take place Sunday.

Senior Israeli officials involved in arranging the meeting said the reason behind the multiple postponements is not clear. The Arab media have reported that Mubarak's deteriorating health is forcing him to go abroad for urgent treatment: The Lebanese paper As-Safir, for instance, said on Tuesday that Mubarak will be undergoing treatment in Germany Tuesday and Wednesday. But it is equally possible that the delays stem from policy considerations, the officials said.