Benjamin Netanyahu

"Netanyahu" redirects here. For his brother, see Yonatan Netanyahu. For other people with this name, see Netanyahu (surname).

Benjamin Netanyahu
בִּנְיָמִין נְתַנְיָהוּ
Official portrait, 2023
9th Prime Minister of Israel
Incumbent
Assumed office
29 December 2022
PresidentIsaac Herzog
DeputyYariv Levin
Preceded byYair Lapid
In office
31 March 2009 – 13 June 2021
President
AlternateBenny Gantz (2020–21)
Preceded byEhud Olmert
Succeeded byNaftali Bennett
In office
18 June 1996 – 6 July 1999
PresidentEzer Weizman
Preceded byShimon Peres
Succeeded byEhud Barak
Leader of the Opposition
In office
28 June 2021[1] – 29 December 2022
Prime Minister
  • Naftali Bennett
  • Yair Lapid
Preceded byYair Lapid
Succeeded byYair Lapid
In office
16 January 2006 – 31 March 2009
Prime MinisterEhud Olmert
Preceded byAmir Peretz
Succeeded byTzipi Livni
In office
3 February 1993 – 18 June 1996
Prime Minister
Preceded byYitzhak Shamir
Succeeded byShimon Peres
Chairman of Likud
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 December 2005
Preceded byAriel Sharon
In office
3 February 1993 – 6 July 1999
Preceded byYitzhak Shamir
Succeeded byAriel Sharon
7th Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations
In office
1 September 1984 – 1 March 1988
Prime Minister
  • Yitzhak Shamir
  • Shimon Peres
  • Yitzhak Shamir
Preceded byYehuda Blum
Succeeded byYohanan Bein
Ministerial roles
1996–1997Science and Technology
1996–1999Housing and Construction
2002–2003Minister of Foreign Affairs
2003–2005Finance
2009–2013
2012–2013Foreign Affairs
2013
Personal details
Born (1949-10-21) 21 October 1949 (age 75)
Tel Aviv, Israel
Political partyLikud
Spouses
Miriam Weizmann
​
​
(m. 1972; div. 1978)​
Fleur Cates
​
​
(m. 1981; div. 1988)​
​
(m. 1991)​
Children3, including Yair
Parents
Relatives
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Diplomat
  • management consultant
  • marketing executive
  • politician
  • writer
Cabinet
Signature
Websitewww.netanyahu.org.il Edit this at Wikidata
NicknameBibi
Military service
Branch/serviceIsrael Defense Forces
Years of service1967–1973
RankSéren (Captain)
UnitSayeret Matkal
Battles/wars

Benjamin Netanyahu[a] (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician, serving as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021.[3] He is chair of the Likud party. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, having served a total of over 17 years.[4][5]

Born to secular Jewish parents, Netanyahu was raised in West Jerusalem and the United States. He returned to Israel in 1967 to join the Israel Defense Forces and served in the Sayeret Matkal special forces as a captain before being honorably discharged. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Netanyahu worked for the Boston Consulting Group and moved back to Israel in 1978 to found the Yonatan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute. Between 1984 and 1988 Netanyahu was Israel's ambassador to the United Nations. Netanyahu rose to prominence after election as chair of Likud in 1993, becoming leader of the opposition. In the 1996 general election, Netanyahu became the first Israeli prime minister elected directly by popular vote, and its youngest. Netanyahu was defeated in the 1999 election and retired from politics, entering the private sector. He returned and served as minister of foreign affairs and finance, initiating economic reforms,[6][7] before resigning over the Gaza disengagement plan.

Netanyahu returned to lead Likud in 2005[8] and was leader of the opposition between 2006 and 2009. After the 2009 legislative election, Netanyahu formed a coalition with other right-wing parties and became prime minister again.[9][10][11] He led Likud to victory in the 2013 and 2015 elections.[12] Netanyahu made his closeness to Donald Trump, a friend since the 1980s, central to his appeal from 2016.[13] During Trump's first presidency, the US recognized Jerusalem as capital of Israel, Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and brokered the Abraham Accords, normalization agreements between Israel and the Arab world. Netanyahu has faced criticism over expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, deemed illegal under international law.[14] In 2019, Netanyahu was indicted on charges of breach of trust, bribery and fraud,[15] and relinquished all ministerial posts, except prime minister.[16][17] The 2018–2022 Israeli political crisis led to a rotation agreement between Netanyahu and Benny Gantz.[18][19] This collapsed in 2020, leading to a March 2021 election. In June 2021, Netanyahu was removed from the premiership, before returning after the 2022 election.

Netanyahu's coalition pursued judicial reform, which was met with protests in early 2023. In October 2023, Israel suffered a large-scale attack by Hamas-led Palestinian groups, triggering the Israel–Hamas war. Due to the failure to anticipate the attack, Netanyahu has been criticized for presiding over Israel's biggest intelligence failure in 50 years,[20][21][22] and has faced protests calling for his removal.[23][24] Netanyahu's government has been accused of genocide,[25][26][27] culminating in the South Africa v. Israel case before the International Court of Justice in December 2023.[28][29] In May 2024, Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, announced his intention to apply for an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, and other members of his cabinet, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as part of the ICC investigation in Palestine.[30][31][32] In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu along with Yoav Gallant and Mohammed Deif.[33]

  1. ^ Leader of the Opposition Archived 26 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine, Knesset
  2. ^ "Netanyahu". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  3. ^ Picheta, Rob; Gold, Hadas; Tal, Amir (29 December 2022). "Benjamin Netanyahu sworn in as leader of Israel's likely most right-wing government ever". CNN. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  4. ^ Heller, Aron (17 July 2019). "Netanyahu makes history as Israel's longest-serving leader". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  5. ^ Williams, Dan (18 July 2019). "Bruised but driven, Netanyahu becomes Israel's longest-serving PM". Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Thomas G. (2015). Likud Leaders. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-7864-9713-3.
  7. ^ "Netanyahu Gets Tough to Transform Israel's Economy". The New York Times. 24 October 2004. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference xinh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Hoffman, Gil (10 February 2009). "Kadima wins, but rightist bloc biggest". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  10. ^ "Netanyahu sworn in as Israel's prime minister". Haaretz. 31 March 2009. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  11. ^ Heller, Jeffrey (31 March 2009). "Netanyahu sworn in as Israeli prime minister". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  12. ^ Tobin, Amir; Birnbaum, Ben (20 March 2015). "'Is This Ship Sinking?' Inside the Collapse of the Campaign Against Netanyahu". The New Yorker. New York City. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  13. ^ Halbfinger, David M. (9 November 2020). "Biden's Win Means a Demotion for Netanyahu and Less Focus on Israel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Netanyahu and the Settlements". The New York Times. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  15. ^ Wootliff, Raoul (21 November 2019). "AG announces Netanyahu to stand trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference haaretznov23 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Netanyahu said set to give up 4 ministry portfolios after charges announced". The Times of Israel. 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  18. ^ Hoffman, Gil (21 November 2019). "Rivlin hands over mandate, begs MKs to prevent third election". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  19. ^ Eglash, Ruth (17 May 2020). "After three elections and political deadlock, Israel finally swears in new government". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  20. ^ "Israel-Gaza conflict: Unthinkable security lapse on Netanyahu's watch". The Times. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Israelis question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 'colossal failure' on security establishment". The Telegraph Online. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Netanyahu may end up the highest-ranking casualty of this attack". The Australian. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Thousands Protest Across Israel Against Netanyahu's Government". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  24. ^ "Protesters call for change to Netanyahu government". Reuters. 20 January 2024.
  25. ^ Eghbariah, Rabea (21 November 2023). "The Harvard Law Review Refused to Run This Piece About genocide in Gaza". The Nation. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. ^ "Gaza: UN experts call on international community to prevent genocide against the Palestinian people". UN. 16 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. ^ Burga, Solcyre (14 November 2023). "Is What's Happening in Gaza a Genocide? Experts Weigh In". Time. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  28. ^ Powell, Anita (4 January 2024). "South Africa to take Israel to Top UN Court on Genocide Claim in Gaza". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  29. ^ Proceedings instituted by South Africa against the State of Israel on 29 December 2023 (PDF). International Court of Justice (Report). 29 December 2023. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  30. ^ Khan, Karim A.A. (20 May 2024). "Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC: Applications for arrest warrants in the situation in the State of Palestine". icc-cpi.int. International Criminal Court. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  31. ^ Ray, Siladitya (20 May 2024). "ICC Seeks Arrest Warrants For Benjamin Netanyahu And Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar". Forbes. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  32. ^ Kottasová, Ivana (20 May 2024). "EXCLUSIVE: ICC seeks arrest warrants against Sinwar and Netanyahu for war crimes over October 7 attack and Gaza war". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  33. ^ Roth, Andrew; Borger, Julian (21 November 2021). "ICC issues arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged Gaza war crimes". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2024.


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