Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister of Israel since its inception.
Born in Tel Aviv on October 21, 1949, he grew up in Jerusalem before moving with his family to Pennsylvania during his high school years, where his father taught history. In 1967 Netanyahu returned to Israel and joined the IDF's Sayeret Matkal special forces unit, where he served until 1973.
He took part in many military operations, including a 1972 rescue mission of hostages in a hijacked Sabena airplane, during which he was shot in the shoulder. Netanyahu finished his military service in 1972, but returned to serve in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, after which he was promoted to the rank of Captain.
His brother Yonatan "Yoni," an IDF officer, was killed during Operation Entebbe in 1976 at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda where Israelis were being held hostage. His was the only death resulting from the mission.
He has degrees in architecture and business management from MIT. He also studied political science at MIT and Harvard University. He served as Israel's ambassador to the UN from 1984-1988, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Ariel Sharon's government.
In 1993 Netanyahu was elected Likud party chairman and served as the leader of the opposition until being elected prime minister in 1996. In 2009, he was elected prime minister for the second time, in January 2013 a third, and in March 2015 a fourth.
He is married to Sara Netanyahu with whom he has two children, Yair and Avner.
In 2018, the Mossad stole Iran's nuclear archive. Netanyahu later presented the information to the international community. Netanyahu strongly opposes a nuclear deal with Iran.
Under the rotation government set by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Netanyahu serves as the leader of the opposition.
It is time that Netanyahu recognizes the gravity of this moment in time and does what is right or steps aside, calls for early elections, and allows the Israeli people to decide who will lead them.
The Netanyahu-Gallant feud is essentially a power struggle over policy surrounding this fundamental question: Who will rule Gaza after the war?
In Manama, the Arab League met to voice its opposition not just not the Rafah operation but to the war itself, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.
In a New York Times report, the writer discusses the history of violence among Jewish residents of the West Bank against Palestinians and how it led to the emersion of their supporters in government.
Attorney General: Not relevant to today's reality, lacks 'factual professional foundations'
Netanyahu: Stop playing tricks and get the job done; get Israel what it needs: people on the ground.
Netanyahu clashes with Gallant • Gantz over Gaza plans, Haredi draft • US moves forward with Gaza pier
For the situation to change, an immediate political and security shake-up must occur.
The prime minister insisted that he has "vast support" from the Israeli public.
The coming days and weeks will likely include a lot of political drama, while in the background, IDF soldiers continue to fight in Gaza, and 100,000 Israelis remain away from their homes.
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