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.
In the days following the attack, Boulder’s Jewish community has been reeling from shock and fear.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his current government are the obstacles to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Most Israelis would support Palestinian statehood if they were confident it would bring security. Benjamin Netanyahu's actions have unwittingly supported the argument for statehood.
Sources within ultra-Orthodox parties told Kan News that Netanyahu is attempting to puppeteer the government's collapse to delay his cross-examination as part of his trial.
"Everyone must serve: Secular, religious, and haredim," Gallant said in response.
The prosecution’s questioning, led by attorney Yehonatan Tadmor, focused on the depth and extent of Netanyahu’s friendship with Arnon Milchan.
Leftists in Israel and America keep tripping on themselves by thinking they’re better, even as their behavior suggests otherwise, and by oozing elitist contempt for others in an age of populism.
The prime minister insisted that whenever he said he “didn’t remember,” he truly didn’t remember - and was not trying to get out of a question or use the response to avoid telling the truth.
The prosecution is proceeding very conservatively to score any points it can on Netanyahu, concerned that otherwise he could outfox them on the witness stand.
JPOST Digital Library
