Milestones
- 9th Prime Minister of Israel first elected June 1996
- 6 Governments led the 27th to the 37th
- 18+ Years in office cumulative, across three tenures
- 4 Normalization accords the Abraham Accords, 2020
Figures current as of June 2026.
Biography · ביוגרפיה
Soldier, Diplomat, Statesman
Benjamin Netanyahu was born on October 21, 1949, in Tel Aviv, the son of the historian Benzion Netanyahu, and was raised largely in Jerusalem. After spending part of his youth near Philadelphia, he returned to Israel in 1967 to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces. He served five years in Sayeret Matkal, the army's elite special-forces unit — taking part in the 1972 rescue of the hijacked Sabena Flight 571, in which he was wounded — and was discharged with the rank of captain, returning to fight in the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree in management, then worked at the Boston Consulting Group. After his brother Yonatan fell commanding the hostage-rescue raid at Entebbe on July 4, 1976, Netanyahu turned to public life, leading the Jonathan Institute's studies of terrorism and serving as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988.
Elected to the Knesset in 1988 and to the Likud leadership in 1993, he became Israel's ninth prime minister in June 1996 — the youngest person ever to hold the office, and the first born after the founding of the state. He later served as foreign minister (2002–03) and as finance minister (2003–05), returned to the premiership in 2009 for twelve consecutive years, and on July 20, 2019 surpassed David Ben-Gurion as the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history. Sworn in again on December 29, 2022 at the head of his sixth government, he remains in office today. His memoir, Bibi: My Story, appeared in 2022.
"Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East. Israel is what is right about the Middle East."
Key facts
Photographs
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"Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand."
The Nation · המדינה
The State of Israel
Established on May 14, 1948, Israel is the world's only Jewish state — a nation reborn in its ancient homeland after two millennia of exile and longing. In a single lifetime it has grown from a besieged community of refugees into a thriving democracy and a global center of science and technology.
Its capital is Jerusalem — the city of King David and the Western Wall, declared in Israel's Basic Law to be its complete and united capital, and recognized as Israel's capital by the United States in December 2017. Netanyahu's career has been inseparable from the defense of that state and the deepening of its place among the nations.
עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי Am Yisrael Chai — the people of Israel live
Timeline · ציר הזמן
A Life of Service
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1949
Born in Tel Aviv
Born October 21 to Tzila and the historian Benzion Netanyahu; raised largely in Jerusalem.
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1967
Enlists in the IDF
Returns from the United States to join Sayeret Matkal, the army's elite reconnaissance unit.
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1972
Sabena rescue
Takes part in the storming of hijacked Sabena Flight 571 at Lod Airport and is wounded in the operation; discharged a captain, he returns to fight in the Yom Kippur War the following year.
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1976
Entebbe
His brother Yonatan falls commanding the hostage-rescue raid at Entebbe on July 4; in his memory Benjamin leads the Jonathan Institute's international conferences on terrorism.
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1984
Ambassador to the United Nations
Serves four years as Israel's voice at the UN, through 1988, then enters the Knesset for Likud.
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1996
Ninth Prime Minister
Forms a government on June 18 as the youngest prime minister in Israel's history — and the first born after the founding of the state.
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2003
Finance Minister
After serving as foreign minister, leads sweeping free-market reforms at the finance ministry from 2003 to 2005.
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2009
Returns to office
Sworn in again on March 31, beginning twelve consecutive years as prime minister.
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2019
Longest-serving prime minister
On July 20 he surpasses David Ben-Gurion's record of days in office.
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2020
The Abraham Accords
Signs normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at the White House on September 15; Sudan and Morocco follow within months.
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2022
A sixth government
Sworn in on December 29 at the head of Israel's 37th government — his sixth — and remains in office today.
"This day is a pivot of history. It heralds a new dawn of peace."
Sources and image credits
Sources & image credits
Quotations
- "Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East…" — speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, May 24, 2011. Full text, World Jewish Congress.
- "Even if Israel has to stand alone…" — speech to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, March 3, 2015. Transcript, TIME; The Times of Israel.
- "This day is a pivot of history…" — remarks at the Abraham Accords signing, the White House, September 15, 2020. Official transcript, White House archives.
Key facts
- Birth, military service, education, terms in office and governments led: Wikipedia: Benjamin Netanyahu; Encyclopædia Britannica.
- Youngest prime minister; foreign and finance ministries; Likud leadership: Encyclopædia Britannica.
- Longest-serving prime minister, July 20, 2019: The Times of Israel; JTA.
- UN ambassadorship, 1984–88: JTA archive; Jewish Virtual Library.
Images
- Official portrait, February 2023 — Avi Ohayon, Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- Address to Congress, 2015 — U.S. Congress, public domain.
- Abraham Accords signing, 2020 — official White House photo, public domain.
- Western Wall — Government Press Office (Israel), CC BY-SA 3.0.
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