Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister of Israel. Date of Birth: 21.10.1949 Country: Israel

1. Biography of Benjamin Netanyahu
2. Influence of His Brother's Death
3. Political Career
4. Political Stances
5. Prime Minister of Israel
6. Author and Public Figure

Biography of Benjamin Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel since December 29, 2022, was born in Tel Aviv on October 21, 1948. He spent his early years in Philadelphia, USA, before returning to Israel in 1967. After completing his military service in the Israeli army, Netanyahu went back to the US to pursue his education. He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Architecture in 1975 and a Master's degree in Business Administration in 1976 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Influence of His Brother's Death

The tragic death of his elder brother, Yonatan (Jonathan), greatly influenced Netanyahu's life. Yonatan was the only Israeli soldier killed during the raid on Entebbe Airport in Uganda, where more than 100 hostages held by Palestinian terrorists were freed. In honor of his brother, Netanyahu founded and led the Jonathan Institute, which organized seminars on international terrorism and conducted research on the subject. His work caught the attention of Moshe Arens, the Israeli ambassador to the US, who invited Netanyahu to Washington in 1982 to serve as the Deputy Chief of the Israeli diplomatic mission.

Political Career

In 1984, Netanyahu became Israel's representative to the United Nations and held the position until 1988, when he was elected to the Parliament as a member of the Likud party. During his four-year tenure at the UN, Netanyahu worked closely with the media, which later helped him serve as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (1988-1991) under Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and become Israel's chief representative during the Gulf War (1990-1991). Netanyahu won 52% of the votes at the Likud party convention in March 1993, making him the party's candidate for Prime Minister.

Political Stances

Netanyahu strongly opposed the peace agreements with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) signed in Oslo. He accused the Labor Party-led government, headed by Yitzhak Rabin, of lacking a strong stance against Arab terrorism. After Rabin's assassination in November 1995, Netanyahu continued to emphasize the importance of national security as the main principle of Israeli foreign policy. He rejected territorial concessions and argued that Israel's support for the peace process should be directly linked to ensuring the safety of its citizens.

Prime Minister of Israel

Netanyahu was elected Prime Minister on May 29, 1996, with a margin of 30,000 votes. In the early months of his tenure, he proposed a political course that did not allow for a revision of the Oslo agreements but opposed the idea of a Palestinian state. He displayed a willingness to continue peace negotiations with Syria, following the principle of "peace for peace" instead of the Labor Party's traditional principle of "land for peace." In January 1997, Netanyahu reached agreements for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the West Bank. However, his first two years in office were marred by a political scandal. In 1997, Netanyahu narrowly avoided a criminal investigation for aiding a political ally in evading responsibility for bribery and fraud. In December 1998, he was forced to call for early elections after losing support from key factions within his ruling coalition. He was unsuccessful in the May 1999 elections, and Ehud Barak assumed the position of Prime Minister.

Author and Public Figure

Netanyahu is also known for his prolific writing. Some of his notable works include "The Letters of Jonathan Netanyahu" (1978), "International Terrorism: Challenge and Response" (1979), "Terrorism: How the West Can Win" (1986), "A Place Among the Nations: Israel and the World" (1992), and "Fighting Terrorism: How Democracies Can Defeat Domestic and International Terrorism" (1995).