Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister of Israel since its inception.
Born in Tel Aviv on October 21, 1949, he grew up in Jerusalem before moving with his family to Pennsylvania during his high school years, where his father taught history. In 1967 Netanyahu returned to Israel and joined the IDF's Sayeret Matkal special forces unit, where he served until 1973.
He took part in many military operations, including a 1972 rescue mission of hostages in a hijacked Sabena airplane, during which he was shot in the shoulder. Netanyahu finished his military service in 1972, but returned to serve in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, after which he was promoted to the rank of Captain.
His brother Yonatan "Yoni," an IDF officer, was killed during Operation Entebbe in 1976 at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda where Israelis were being held hostage. His was the only death resulting from the mission.
He has degrees in architecture and business management from MIT. He also studied political science at MIT and Harvard University. He served as Israel's ambassador to the UN from 1984-1988, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Ariel Sharon's government.
In 1993 Netanyahu was elected Likud party chairman and served as the leader of the opposition until being elected prime minister in 1996. In 2009, he was elected prime minister for the second time, in January 2013 a third, and in March 2015 a fourth.
He is married to Sara Netanyahu with whom he has two children, Yair and Avner.
In 2018, the Mossad stole Iran's nuclear archive. Netanyahu later presented the information to the international community. Netanyahu strongly opposes a nuclear deal with Iran.
Under the rotation government set by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Netanyahu serves as the leader of the opposition.
High Court judge Gila Kanfi-Steinitz stated she “did not see the need” to extend a temporary injunction freezing the firing of Ronen Bar to include a ban on interviewing new candidates.
According to the prime minister and the government, the authority to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet lay solely with the government, according to the law.
Protesters blocked multiple entrances to the Knesset while a vote was held on the 2025 budget, as police attempted to disperse them.
How Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's firing of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar kicked off a clash between Israel's security and political spheres.
Netanyahu claimed that Elovitch had made up a story about not wanting to be in debt to the Israeli leader because he was afraid of disagreeing with the "cult" in Walla.
Tensions escalate in Netanyahu's corruption trial as hostage families clash with supporters over hostage crisis policies.
A source tells the Jerusalem Post that Information was gathered, but no formal probe was formed.
Liberman argued that Netanyahu ignoring a High Court ruling would cross a red line and would effectively make Israel a dictatorship.
Additional protests are planned for Monday, including a Shift 101 protest for the hostages and a march organized by the Academic Protest.
JPOST Digital Library
