Benjamin Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu, also known as "Bibi," was born on October 21, 1949. He is an Israeli politician who has served as Prime Minister of Israel since 2022. He has held this position before, from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021, making him Israel's longest-serving prime minister.

Netanyahu grew up in Tel Aviv, West Jerusalem, and the United States. He joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1967 and was part of the special forces. After studying in the United States, he returned to Israel and became involved in politics. He was elected as the first Israeli prime minister through a direct popular vote in 1996.

During his time in office, Netanyahu worked closely with world leaders, including Donald Trump. Important events during his leadership included international agreements and changes in Israel's relationships with other countries. However, his time as prime minister has also been marked by criticism and challenges, including protests at home and difficult situations with other nations.

Early life, education, and military career

Benjamin Netanyahu was born in 1949 in Tel Aviv. He grew up in Jerusalem and later lived in the United States where his father taught at a college. He went to school in both places and was known for being polite, helpful, and responsible.

After finishing high school, Netanyahu joined the Israeli army and served in a special forces unit. He took part in many important missions and was even shot during one operation. After his military service, he went to university in the United States to study architecture and business. His studies were interrupted when he returned to Israel to fight in a war, but he later finished his degrees.

Early career

Benjamin Netanyahu worked as an economic consultant for the Boston Consulting Group in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1976 to 1978. During this time, he became friends with Mitt Romney, and they shared many ideas together.

In 1978, Netanyahu returned to Israel and took on different roles. He led an institute studying safety measures and later worked in marketing for a company in Jerusalem. He also served in important positions, representing Israel in the United States and at the United Nations. During the 1982 Lebanon War, he spoke to the media to share Israel’s views.

Leader of the Opposition (1993–1996)

Before the 1988 Israeli legislative election, Netanyahu came back to Israel and joined the Likud party. He was placed fifth on the party list and later became a member of the Knesset. He also served as a deputy to the foreign minister.

After the Likud party lost in the 1992 Israeli legislative elections, they held a leadership election in 1993. Netanyahu won this election and became the leader of the Likud party.

When Yitzhak Rabin passed away, Shimon Peres called for early elections. Netanyahu was the Likud party’s candidate for prime minister in the 1996 Israeli legislative election. He won the election and became the youngest prime minister in Israel’s history. His campaign focused on making peace while keeping Israel safe.

Prime Minister (1996–1999)

First term

Main article: Twenty-seventh government of Israel

The months leading up to the 1996 Israeli election were difficult because of terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel. After Israeli intelligence killed a Hamas leader, another Hamas leader planned several bombings in Israel as revenge. These attacks helped change the election results, leading to Benjamin Netanyahu becoming the leader of Israel.

Netanyahu met with Palestinian leaders to discuss peace. They signed an agreement in 1997 to try to improve relations. However, during his time in office, there were still conflicts and difficulties, including disagreements over peace agreements and some difficult events involving other countries.

Netanyahu also worked to change Israel's economy, making it easier for people to invest money outside the country. However, he faced many challenges during his time as leader, including disagreements with different groups and questions about his actions in office.

Political hiatus (1999–2003)

After losing an election in 1999 to Ehud Barak, Benjamin Netanyahu stepped away from politics for a while. During this time, he worked for two years as a consultant for a company that made communication equipment called BATM Advanced Communications.

When the government led by Barak fell in late 2000, Netanyahu wanted to return to politics. He believed that only general elections could create a stable government. He decided not to run for prime minister, which helped Ariel Sharon become leader. In 2002, Netanyahu became the foreign minister after the Israeli Labor Party left the government.

Netanyahu tried to lead his political party, Likud, but was not successful. In 2002, a planned speech he was to give in Montreal, Canada was canceled because protesters caused trouble. Later that year, he gave speeches in Pittsburgh despite more protests.

In September 2002, Netanyahu spoke to a group in the United States about the need to remove the leader of Iraq at that time. He warned that this leader was trying to build dangerous weapons. He believed that removing him would help the region.

Minister of Finance (2003–2005)

After the 2003 Israeli legislative election, Netanyahu was offered the role of Finance Minister. He accepted this important job.

As Finance Minister, Netanyahu worked on improving Israel's economy. He believed that too many rules and a large government were holding back growth. He made changes to make the economy stronger, such as cutting taxes and selling some government-owned businesses. These changes helped the economy grow, and many people said he did a great job.

Netanyahu also had strong opinions about a plan to move Israeli settlements out of Gaza. He wanted the decision to be made by a vote of the people. He even said he would leave his job if this vote wasn’t happening soon.

Leader of the Opposition (2006–2009)

After Sharon left the Likud party, Netanyahu ran to become the new leader. He won the leadership on December 20, 2005, with 47% of the votes. In the March 2006 elections for the Knesset, Likud came in third place, and Netanyahu became the Leader of the Opposition.

In August 2007, Netanyahu was reelected as the leader of Likud. He ran for prime minister in the February 2009 elections. Although Likud did not win the most seats, Netanyahu was chosen to become the next prime minister by the Israeli President on February 20, 2009. He worked to form a new government and succeeded on March 31, 2009, when the Knesset approved his cabinet.

Prime Minister (2009–2021)

Second term

In 2009, a U.S. official showed support for creating a place for Palestinians to live. Benjamin Netanyahu said that talks about this would need the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a home for Jewish people.

During a speech in 2009, a U.S. leader said the U.S. did not support Israeli settlements. Ten days later, Netanyahu spoke and said he would accept a Palestinian state if Jerusalem stayed as the capital of Israel, the Palestinians did not have an army, and gave up their demand to return to places they used to live. He also said there could be some building in places where Jewish people already lived in the West Bank. He said he would talk with leaders from Arab countries without needing anything in return first. Some people in his group did not like his ideas about a Palestinian state. Others said he was just saying this because of pressure from other countries. The Palestinians did not like his conditions for a Palestinian state. Some Arab countries also did not like his speech. But some European countries thought it was a good step. The U.S. leader said it was a good step forward.

Three months after starting his job, Netanyahu said his team had made a big agreement about a solution for Palestinians and Israelis living together. A survey in July 2009 showed most Israelis liked his government. Netanyahu made it easier for people to move around in the West Bank, which helped the economy grow. In 2009, Netanyahu welcomed an idea from Arab countries to have better relations with Israel.

In August 2009, Netanyahu talked about wanting the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and talked about security. The leader of the Palestinians said he would meet with Netanyahu at a big meeting in the United Nations. Netanyahu was thinking about making a deal to build more homes in the West Bank but stop building after a while. In September, it was reported he would agree to demands to build more homes before stopping for a while. A U.S. official said he was sorry about this.

In September 2009, Netanyahu said Iran was a danger to peace and the United Nations needed to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Later in November, Netanyahu said he would stop building some homes for a while, but this did not change much. In March 2010, Israel said it would build more homes in Jerusalem even though the U.S. did not like this. Netanyahu said this was normal and had happened before.

In September 2010, Netanyahu agreed to talk directly with the Palestinians to try to make a final agreement. But after ten months, Israel started building more homes again. In 2012, Netanyahu said for the first time that Palestinians should have their own state, but it would need to be without an army.

Netanyahu asked for the release of a person who was in trouble with the law, but it did not happen. In 2011, many people in Israel protested about high costs. Netanyahu suggested ideas to lower costs, but not all of them were put in place. He also approved plans to build a fast Internet network for everyone.

In 2012, Netanyahu planned to have elections but instead made a team with another leader to keep the government going until 2013 elections.

Third term

After the 2013 elections, Netanyahu started his third term. He continued to make changes to help the economy. In 2013, a new law was made to stop big companies from controlling too much, which was meant to lower prices and help the economy grow. Netanyahu also wanted to make ports private to lower prices and increase exports. He also wanted to reduce unnecessary rules to help businesses.

In 2014, Netanyahu was worried about a group called Hamas making a team with the Palestinians. He blamed Hamas for a bad event involving three teenagers and did operations in Gaza. This led to rockets being sent from Gaza to Israel, and Israel responded.

In October 2014, Netanyahu’s government approved plans to change some government companies to help reduce corruption and strengthen the financial market. In December 2014, Netanyahu removed two leaders from his government, which led to new elections in March 2015.

Fourth term

In the 2015 elections, Netanyahu’s party won the most seats. He quickly made a new government with several parties. In August 2015, his government made plans to change agriculture, lower food prices, and make it easier to build homes and improve roads. In October 2015, Netanyahu made a comment about a historical leader giving an idea to a famous person, but many experts did not agree with him.

In 2016, there were problems with some leaders in his government who did not like plans to change a holy place. In December 2016, the U.S. allowed a United Nations decision to pass that Netanyahu did not like. In February 2017, Netanyahu visited Australia, where leaders made agreements to work together. In October 2017, his government decided to leave a United Nations group because they did not agree with its actions toward Israel.

In April 2018, Netanyahu showed lots of information about Iran’s nuclear plans, saying Iran was not following an agreement. He praised a meeting between the leader of North Korea and the U.S. leader. In July 2018, a new law was passed that some said was to support right-wing ideas.

Criminal investigations and indictment

Since 2017, Netanyahu has been looked at for possible wrongdoings in two cases. In one case, he is thought to have gotten special favors from business people. In another case, he is thought to have tried to make a deal with a newspaper to get better news coverage in exchange for helping them with laws.

In August 2017, police said Netanyahu might have done crimes like fraud and taking bribes. In February 2018, police said there was enough proof to charge him. In February 2019, it was said he would be charged with crimes. He was officially charged in November 2019. He is the first sitting prime minister in Israel to be charged with a crime. His trial was set to start in May 2020 but was delayed. As of April 2023, the trial was still happening.

Fifth term

In May 2020, Netanyahu started his fifth term as prime minister with another leader during the time of a health crisis in Israel. There were protests against him because of the crisis and his legal problems. By March 2021, Israel had one of the most people vaccinated against the health crisis. In May 2021, after tensions, rockets were sent from Gaza to Israel, and Netanyahu started a military operation. After this, another leader made a deal to take Netanyahu’s place as prime minister, and on June 13, 2021, Netanyahu left the job after 12 years.

Leader of the Opposition (2021–2022)

After finishing his time as Prime Minister, Netanyahu became the leader of the opposition. His party, Likud, was still the biggest group in the twenty-fourth Knesset. He guided the opposition during the 2022 Israeli legislative election.

Prime Minister (2022–present)

Further information: Thirty-seventh government of Israel and Israeli war cabinet

See also: 2023 Israeli judicial reform, 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests, and Gaza war

After the 2022 election, Netanyahu became prime minister again as the leader of a strong group of leaders. He began his sixth time as prime minister on 29 December 2022.

The first few months of Netanyahu’s sixth term focused on proposed changes to the judicial system. Some people worried these changes would hurt important parts of how the government works, like the separation of powers, and affect many areas such as the economy and public health. After many public protests and concerns from military reservists, one minister spoke out against the changes. This led to more protests, and Netanyahu decided to wait a little longer before making these changes.

Israel chose not to send certain weapons to Ukraine. In June 2023, Netanyahu explained Israel’s worry that these weapons might end up being used against Israel.

On 7 October 2023, after an unexpected attack from Palestinian militants in Gaza, Netanyahu announced that Israel would fight back against Hamas. He asked people in Gaza to leave and suggested that other political groups join together to work as one team.

Netanyahu faced criticism for not seeing the attack coming and many people asked him to step down. In December 2023, he talked about supporting people leaving Gaza.

In July 2024, Netanyahu spoke to leaders in the United States to ask for support. In October 2024, there was an attack near his home, but he was not hurt.

In November 2024, an international court made serious accusations against Netanyahu. He said these accusations were unfair.

In March 2025, fighting began again in Gaza after a pause in the conflict. Netanyahu had to delay a legal case against him because of the fighting.

In May 2025, Netanyahu talked about moving people from Gaza to other places.

In June 2025, Israel began airstrikes against Iran. Netanyahu later said that these actions affected his family personally.

In August 2025, Netanyahu talked about wanting to keep control of areas beyond Israel’s current borders. In September, he spoke at an important meeting and said he did not support a Palestinian state. Some people left the meeting in protest.

In November 2025, leaders in Turkey asked for Netanyahu to be arrested on serious accusations.

In December 2025, Israel became the first country to recognize a region called Somaliland as independent from Somalia.

Political positions

Authoritarianism

Under Netanyahu's rule, Israel faced challenges to its democratic systems and faced questions about leadership and fairness in government. There were concerns about how news was shared with the public, especially during difficult times like wars. Some people felt that Netanyahu's plans to change how courts work were meant to protect him from legal problems.

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Netanyahu did not support past peace efforts between Israel and Palestine. He believed that past agreements did not bring peace and security. He talked about wanting peace but said it needed to be based on mutual recognition and strong security measures. He also talked about working with other countries to improve relations, like agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Economic views

Netanyahu believed in strong competition and free markets to help the economy grow. During his time in office, he made changes to banking rules, reduced some government controls, and tried to create more jobs. These changes helped the economy grow, but some people thought it favored wealthy businesses.

Views on counter-terrorism

Netanyahu has always taken a strong stand against terrorism, influenced by personal experiences. He wrote books about fighting terrorism and believed in balancing security with personal freedoms. He also supported stronger rules to control who enters the country to prevent terrorism.

Death penalty

In 2026, Netanyahu voted to support a law that would allow the death penalty for people accused of terrorism in certain areas. This was a big decision and passed with a majority vote in the government.

LGBT rights

Netanyahu supports equal rights for LGBT people and says everyone should be treated fairly. He has spoken about the importance of equality during special events, even though some in his government did not agree with allowing same-sex marriages.

Ethiopian Jewish integration

After protests by Ethiopian Jews about unfair treatment, Netanyahu promised to create plans to help them feel included and valued in Israeli society. He spoke against racism and said it had no place in their community.

African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem

Netanyahu supports the African Hebrew Israelites who moved to Israel and celebrates their community. He has praised their efforts to fit into Israeli society and sees their history as part of Israel’s story.

Iran

Netanyahu sees Iran as a major threat to Israel and has spoken strongly against Iran’s nuclear program. He has warned about the dangers of Iran getting nuclear weapons and has worked with other countries to stop Iran’s nuclear plans. He has also taken military actions against Iran when he believed it was needed to protect Israel.

Bank of China terror financing case

Netanyahu was in a difficult position when a family wanted Israel to help with a legal case against a bank that they believed helped terrorists. He had to balance promises to the family and to China, which created some tension.

Defense and security

Netanyahu worked to keep Israel’s military strong, even when there were calls to cut spending. He believed in keeping a strong defense to protect the country, especially during conflicts like the war in Gaza.

Illegal immigration

Netanyahu believes that countries should have strong rules about who can enter to keep safety and security. He passed laws to detain people who enter Israel without permission and has spoken about the need to control borders to protect national identity.

Relations with foreign leaders

As prime minister over several years, Benjamin Netanyahu built strong friendships with leaders around the world. He had a close bond with Hungary's leader Viktor Orbán, knowing each other for many years. He also was good friends with Italy's former leader Silvio Berlusconi, whom he called one of Israel's greatest friends.

Netanyahu formed close ties with India's leader Narendra Modi, and their countries grew closer during their time in office. He also shared a warm friendship with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin, though their relationship faced challenges later on.

In 2018, Poland passed a law about talking about World War II history, which led to some disagreements between Israel and Poland. The leaders later worked together to focus on studying important historical events.

Netanyahu also built friendships with leaders like Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro and Argentina's Javier Milei. With China's Xi Jinping, he worked on diplomacy, especially when relationships between the United States and Israel were difficult.

His relationship with Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was often tense, with both leaders making strong comments about each other.

US leaders

Netanyahu had strong ties with leaders in the United States, especially within the Republican Party. He knew Mitt Romney from their time working together in the 1970s.

During a meeting in 2011, then-French leader Nicolas Sarkozy was heard saying negative things about Netanyahu to U.S. President Barack Obama.

Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump were long-time friends. Trump supported Netanyahu during elections and even named a place in Israel after him. However, their relationship faced some rough moments, especially after the 2020 U.S. election.

U.S. President Joe Biden has also been a long friend of Netanyahu, though their relationship faced challenges during events in 2024.

Personal life

Benjamin Netanyahu has been married three times. His first marriage was to Miriam Weizmann, and they had a daughter named Noa. Later, he married Fleur Cates, but they divorced in 1988. His third wife is Sara Ben-Artzi, and they have two sons named Yair and Avner.

Netanyahu has had some health issues. He has had a heart condition since around 2003 and had a pacemaker put in his body in July 2023. In December 2024, he had his prostate removed after an infection. In April 2026, it was announced that he had been treated for early-stage prostate cancer after having surgery in December 2024.

Honors and awards

Benjamin Netanyahu has received many honors and awards from different countries.

From Brazil, he received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross in 2018.

From Israel, he won the Zeltner Prize in 1987 and received an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Bar-Ilan University in 1988.

From the United States, he was given the Jabotinsky Prize for Literature and Research in 1980 and the Irving Kristol Award in 2015.

Authored books

Benjamin Netanyahu has written several books about important topics. Some of his books include International Terrorism: Challenge and Response from 1981, Terrorism: How the West Can Win from 1987, and Fighting Terrorism: How Democracies Can Defeat Domestic and International Terrorism from 1995. He also wrote A Durable Peace: Israel and Its Place Among the Nations in 1999 and a personal story titled Bibi: My Story in 2022.