Benjamin Netanyahu: A Story of Israel’s Longest serving Prime Minister
Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest serving Prime Minister of Israel since its establishment in 1948, Having won in four instances and serving five times in the same capacity. For years, Mr. Netanyahu was considered politically invincible by his supporters and opponents in equal measures.
Early Life, Education and Military Service
Benjamin Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1949. His mother was Petah Tikva and his father, Benzion Netanyahu was of Warsaw origin, a great historian who specialized in Jewish Golden age in Spain. Benjamin Netanyahu famously known as Bibi, is the second of three children of Tikva and Benzion. He was initially raised in Jerusalem and attended Henrietta Szold Elementary School where he was described by the sixth grade teacher as a responsible, punctual, courteous, brave and intelligent child.
In 1963, his family move to the United States, Philadelphia, after his father accepted an academic post at Dropsie college. After his graduation from High School at Cheltenham High School, Benjamin Netanyahu returned to Israel where he enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) at the age of 18 years. He spent five years in the army serving as a Captain of an elite Commando unit known as Sayeret Matkal.
He took part in a raid on Beirut’s Airport in 1968 and fought in the Middle East war of 1973. After this war, he went back to the United States to complete his studies. He earned his Bachelor’s and Masters degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan Institute of Management. He was studying for his doctorate in Political Science, when his studies were halted by the death of his Brother, Yonatan Netanyahu during the Operation Entebbe. Yonatan was the leader of Benjamin’s former commando unit, and he successfully led to the rescue of a hundred and two hostages who had been kidnapped and flown to Entebbe in Uganda. Unfortunately, he was fatally shot in the ensuing crossfire causing his death.
Bibi, made a decision to establish an anti-terrorism institute in the memory of his fallen Brother. Upon his establishment of this Institute, his name shot to fame and his public life was branded. An articulate English speaker with a distinctive American accent, Bibi became a regular and familiar figure on US Televisions. He was known for his advocacy for Israel’s course in the Middle East. He was appointed Israel’s permanent representative at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York in 1984
Political Life
Upon his return to Israel in 1988, Mr. Netanyahu became actively involved in domestic politics, winning a seat for Likud Party in the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament). He was subsequently appointed as the Deputy Foreign Minister. Following the defeat of Likud Party in 1992 General elections, Benjamin Netanyahu was elected the new leader of Likud Party after defeating David Levy (a seasoned Politician ) and Benny Begin, son of Israel’s former Prime Minister, Menachem Begin.
Following the assassination of Israel’s Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin in 1996, the temporary successor, Simon Peres called for an election, the first of its kind. Mr. Netanyahu hired a republican Political operative who was very instrumental in his sweeping victory and subsequently becoming the first Israel born Prime Minister. He was also the youngest Israel’s Prime Minister since the establishment of Israel State in 1948.
During his time as the leader of opposition party in 1993, he vehemently opposed the Oslo Peace accords between the Israelis and Palestinians. However, upon inauguration into the office, Mr. Netanyahu signed a deal handing over 80 percent of Hebron to the Palestinians and agreed further withdrawals from the occupied West Bank. Barely, three years after signing of the peace deal with Palestine, Netanyahu ordered the assassination of Hamas leader, Khaled Mashal by the Mossad (Israel’s intelligence agency).
He lost his office in 1999 after he called general elections 17 months early. He was defeated by Ehud Barak, Leader of the Labor party of Israel and his former Army commander. Mr. Barak resignation as the Prime Minister and leader of the Labor party led to his replacement by Ariel Sharon as the new Prime Minister.
Following Mr. Ariel’s election as the new Prime Minister, Bibi returned to the Government as the Foreign affairs Minister and Finance Minister later. In 2005, Netanyahu resigned from his ministerial position in protest to the withdrawal from Israel’s occupancy of Gaza strip. His chance to serve as country’s Premier came later in 2005 when, Mr. Ariel split from the Likud party to form his own party, Kadima. Mr. Netanyahu won Likud party leadership and was subsequently elected the Prime Minister in 2009.
He agreed to a ten month freeze on settlement on West Bank, enabling peace talks with the Palestinians but the negotiations flopped in late 2010. He later toughened his position about Palestine: “A Palestinian state will not be created, not like the one people are talking about. It won’t happen.”
Palestinian attacks and Israel’s military action on the Gaza strip has happened before and after Bibi’s return to power in 2009. The fourth such conflict erupted in May 2021 leading to ouster of Mr. Netanyahu from office.
His relation with the United States
Although US has been Israel’s closest ally in the conflict in middle East, Benjamin Netanyahu had rough relations with President Barack Obama. Their differences reached a low point when Netanyahu addressed Congress in May 2015 warning against Nuclear Program deal with Iran as a bad deal. President Obama’s administration considered his visit as rather interfering.
The advent of Trump’s administration signaled a close relationship between US and Israel government and their policies. Within a year Trump’s administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Trump’s pronouncement sparked fury across the Arab world which supports Palestine’s claim. However, the pronouncement handed Bibi a political and diplomatic coup. Additionally, Trump’s administration recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan heights. As such Netanyahu supported Trump take on Iran, welcoming President’s 2018b withdrawal from Iran Nuclear deal and reinstatement of economic sanctions.
Criminal Investigation and Election defeat
After 2016, corruption investigations were launched on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was subsequently charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in connection with three separate cases in November. He was accused of accepting gifts from wealthy businessmen and dispensed favor to try to get positive press conference. He went to trial in May 2020 becoming the first serving PM of Israel to do so and defying opponents call to resign.
Even under criminal investigations, Bibi survived three deadlocked elections in less than a year and won a record fifth term agreeing to share power with Rival Benny Gantz in a rare government of Unity established to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. The collapse of this government led to a fourth election in two years.
Although the Likud party won most seats, opposition among other right wing parties to Netanyahu’s monopoly and he could not secure majority. Instead parties from far left to far right backed by Arab MPs the so called Change Government garnered enough votes to unseat him. Naftali Bennett is the new Prime Minister of Israel.
