Benjamin Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu
בנימין נתניהו
Official portrait, 2023
Prime Minister of Israel
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 December 2022 (2022-12-29)
President	Isaac Herzog
Preceded by	Yair Lapid
In office 31 March 2009 (2009-03-31) – 13 June 2021 (2021-06-13)
President	Shimon Peres Reuven Rivlin
Alternate	Benny Gantz (2020–21)
Preceded by	Ehud Olmert
Succeeded by	Naftali Bennett
In office 18 June 1996 (1996-06-18) – 6 July 1999 (1999-07-06)
President	Ezer Weizman
Preceded by	Shimon Peres
Succeeded by	Ehud Barak
Leader of the Opposition
In office 28 June 2021[1] – 29 December 2022
Prime Minister	Naftali Bennett Yair Lapid
Preceded by	Yair Lapid
Succeeded by	Yair Lapid
In office 16 January 2006 – 31 March 2009
Prime Minister	Ehud Olmert
Preceded by	Amir Peretz
Succeeded by	Tzipi Livni
In office 3 February 1993 – 18 June 1996
Prime Minister	Yitzhak Rabin Shimon Peres
Preceded by	Yitzhak Shamir
Succeeded by	Shimon Peres
Chairman of Likud
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 December 2005 (2005-12-20)
Preceded by	Ariel Sharon
In office 3 February 1993 (1993-02-03) – 6 July 1999 (1999-07-06)
Preceded by	Yitzhak Shamir
Succeeded by	Ariel Sharon
Ministerial roles
1996–1997	Science and Technology
1996–1999	Housing and Construction
2002–2003	Foreign Affairs
2003–2005	Finance
2009–2013	Economic Strategy Health Pensioner Affairs
2012–2013	Foreign Affairs
2013	Foreign Affairs Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs
Personal details
Born	(1949-10-21) 21 October 1949 (age 75) Tel Aviv, Israel
Political party	Likud
Spouse(s)	Miriam Weizmann ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1978)​ Fleur Cates ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1984)​ Sara Ben-Artzi ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	3
Parents	Benzion Netanyahu Tzila Segal
Relatives	Nathan Mileikowsky (grandfather) Yonatan Netanyahu (brother) Iddo Netanyahu (brother) Elisha Netanyahu (uncle) Nathan Netanyahu (cousin)
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, MS) Harvard University (PhD, dropped out)
Occupation	Politician diplomat writer economic consultant marketing executive
Cabinet	27 32 33 34 35
Signature
Website	www.netanyahu.org.il
Military service
Nickname(s)	Bibi[2]
Branch/service	Israel Defense Forces
Years of service	1967–1973
Rank	Seren (Captain)
Unit	Sayeret Matkal
Battles/wars	War of Attrition Yom Kippur War Israel–Hamas war

Benjamin Netanyahu^[a] (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician. He is the Prime Minister of Israel since 2022. He was prime minister before from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021.^[4] 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.^[5][6]

In October 2023, Israel was attacked by Hamas-led Palestinian groups, triggering the Israel–Hamas war. Netanyahu has been criticized for his role in not preventing the attack and then for his response to the attack.^[7][8][9] His government faced protests calling for his removal.^[10][11] Netanyahu's government has been accused of genocide and war crimes.^[12][13][14] In May 2024, the International Criminal Court announced their plans 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.^[15] In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu along with Yoav Gallant and Mohammed Deif.^[16]

1. ↑ Leader of the Opposition Knesset
2. ↑ "Benjamin Netanyahu". Biography. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
3. ↑ "Netanyahu". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
4. ↑ 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.
5. ↑ 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.
6. ↑ 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.
7. ↑ "Israel-Gaza conflict: Unthinkable security lapse on Netanyahu's watch". The Times. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
8. ↑ "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.
9. ↑ "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.
10. ↑ "Thousands Protest Across Israel Against Netanyahu's Government". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
11. ↑ "Protesters call for change to Netanyahu government". Reuters. 20 January 2024.
12. ↑ 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)
13. ↑ "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)
14. ↑ 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)
15. ↑ Ray, Siladitya (2024-05-20). "ICC Seeks Arrest Warrants For Benjamin Netanyahu And Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2024-05-22. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
16. ↑ Cite error: The named reference ICC Warrant was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).