Benjamin Netanyahu's Political Journey

💡Table of Content

➤  Introduction
➤  Early Life and Education
➤  Military Service and Early Career
➤  Entry into Politics
➤  Rising Through the Ranks
➤  First Term as Prime Minister
➤  Reelection and Second Term
➤  Challenges and Controversies
➤  Third Term and Further Achievements
➤  Fourth Term and Legal Troubles
➤  End of an Era
➤  Legacy
➤  Conclusion

(1). Introduction

→ Benjamin Netanyahu is a big name in Israel's politics.

→ He was the Prime Minister of Israel and had a big impact on the country's politics.

→ He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 21, 1949.

→ He had a long career in politics and the military.

→ This biography will tell you about his life and how he became a global leader, starting from when he was young in Israel.

(2). Early Life and Education

→ Benjamin Netanyahu, the eldest of three sons, was born to Zila and Benzion Netanyahu.

→ His father, Benzion, was a distinguished historian and scholar, whose work focused on Jewish history and Zionism.

→ Growing up in a household steeped in intellectual and political discussions, Netanyahu developed a deep sense of connection to Israel's history and its future.

→ Netanyahu attended Cheltenham High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while his father taught at Dropsie College.

→ His time in the United States exposed him to Western values and democracy, which would later influence his political beliefs.

→ After graduating from high school, he returned to Israel to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

(3). Military Service and Early Career

→ In 1967, Netanyahu joined a special team in the Israeli military called Sayeret Matkal during the Six-Day War.

→ This team is very skilled and does secret missions.

→ Netanyahu was a leader in this team and did many important missions.

→ People thought he was very brave and a good leader.

→ After his military service, Netanyahu attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree in business management.

→ This academic background would serve him well in his future political career.

(4). Entry into Politics

→ Benjamin Netanyahu's political career began to take shape when he returned to Israel after completing his studies at MIT.

→ In 1982, he was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. During this time, he forged valuable connections with American politicians and foreign policy experts.

→ In 1984, Netanyahu got a significant job in Israel's diplomacy.

→ He became Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations.

→ In this role, he spoke up a lot for Israel in the world.

→ He worked hard to protect Israel's interests and talked a lot about its safety worries.

(5). Rising Through the Ranks

→ Netanyahu's political ascent within Israel's Likud Party continued as he was elected as a Member of Knesset (MK) in 1988.

→ He quickly gained recognition for his articulate speeches and conservative stance on security issues.

→ During this period, he also served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Minister of Defense in the Likud-led governments.

→ In 1993, Netanyahu was appointed as the Leader of the Likud Party, taking over from the retiring Yitzhak Shamir.

→ This marked a turning point in his career, as he became the primary challenger to the Labor Party's dominance in Israeli politics.

(6). First Term as Prime Minister

→ In 1996, Netanyahu achieved a major political victory when he was elected as the Prime Minister of Israel, defeating incumbent Shimon Peres.

→ His tenure was marked by a conservative approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a focus on economic liberalization.

→ Netanyahu's government implemented several market-oriented reforms, which contributed to economic growth but also faced criticism for exacerbating income inequality.

→ During his first term, an important thing that happened was the signing of the Hebron Agreement in 1997.

→ This agreement shared control of the West Bank city of Hebron between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

→ But, the efforts to make peace with the Palestinians had many problems.

→ There were setbacks, like the Wye River Memorandum, which was not fully put into action.

(7). Reelection and Second Term

→ In 1999, Netanyahu's government had some problems inside, and people didn't like how he was handling the peace talks.

→ Because of this, he lost the election to Ehud Barak.

→ But Netanyahu didn't go away from politics.

→ He kept leading the Likud Party and stayed important in Israeli politics.

→ In 2009, he made a triumphant comeback by winning the general elections and becoming the Prime Minister of Israel for the second time.

→ His second term in office was marked by a more cautious approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a focus on security concerns.

→ During this period, tensions with Iran over its nuclear program escalated, and Netanyahu became a vocal advocate for a tough stance on Iran.

→ People were upset with Netanyahu's government for how they managed things like money and housing in the country.

→ But he was still well-known worldwide for his strong speeches and his commitment to keeping Israel safe.

(8). Challenges and Controversies

→ Benjamin Netanyahu had a tough time during his time in politics.

→ People argued about how he dealt with problems between Israel and Palestine.

→ Some said he didn't try hard enough to make peace.

→ Also, his government's decisions about building houses in the West Bank made many countries upset.

→ Netanyahu's way of leading and how he got along with leaders from other countries also caused problems.

→ His relationship with the Obama government, especially about the Iran nuclear deal, made things hard between Israel and the United States.

→ Even with all these difficulties, Netanyahu stayed strong in Israeli politics.

→ Many people in Israel liked him and voted for him.

(9). Third Term and Further Achievements

→ In 2013, Benjamin Netanyahu became the Prime Minister of Israel for the third time.

→ He led a group of political parties, including those on the right and religious parties.

→ During this time, he kept talking about how important it was to keep Israel safe, and he strongly disagreed with a deal about Iran's nuclear program.

→ He even spoke to the U.S. Congress to share his worries.

→ People criticized Netanyahu's government for how they dealt with issues like the cost of living and the gap between rich and poor.

→ But when Israel had a military operation in Gaza called Operation Protective Edge in 2014, many Israelis supported his leadership.

→ Netanyahu also worked on making Israel's friendships with nearby countries stronger, especially with those who were worried about Iran.

→ He built close relationships with leaders in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which showed that alliances in the region were changing.

(10). Fourth Term and Legal Troubles

→ In 2015, Benjamin Netanyahu won his fourth time as the leader of Israel in a very close election.

→ He and his government kept focusing on keeping the country safe and being tough on Iran.

→ His relationship with the Obama administration, especially about the Iran nuclear deal, was not good, as he strongly disagreed with it.

→ While he was in his fourth term, Netanyahu had more and more problems with the law.

→ He was accused of being involved in several corruption cases, like taking bribes, committing fraud, and not being trustworthy.

→ These legal issues made his leadership look bad and caused many people to protest and ask him to step down from his position.

(11). End of an Era

→ In May 2020, Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, who were political rivals, agreed to work together as a team to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and the political problems in Israel.

→ They decided that Netanyahu would be the Prime Minister for the first part of their partnership, and Gantz would be the Defense Minister and Vice Prime Minister.

→ But in November 2021, Gantz became the Prime Minister.

→ Benjamin Netanyahu had been the Prime Minister for more than 12 years before this change.

→ He faced a lot of controversies and difficulties during his time in office.

→ He had a big impact on Israeli politics and was a figure who divided opinions, both in Israel and around the world.

(12). Legacy

→ Benjamin Netanyahu's legacy has both positive and negative aspects.

→ Some people admire his strong leadership, dedication to Israel's safety, and efforts to make Israel stronger in the Middle East.

→ They think his work against the Iran nuclear deal and his role in making peace agreements with Arab countries, called the Abraham Accords, are important.

→ However, some people also see problems in Netanyahu's legacy.

→ There were accusations of corruption against him, and he used a divisive approach to politics.

→ His handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still talked about, and some say his policies made it harder to find a lasting peace.

(13) Conclusion

→ Benjamin Netanyahu's time in politics shows how strong and determined he is.

→ He worked his way up in Israeli politics and was Prime Minister for a long time.

→ His leadership really affected Israel's safety plans and its place in the Middle East.

→ Some people like him, and some people don't.

→ But everyone agrees that he had a big impact on Israeli politics and was well-known around the world.

→ Israel still faces tough political and safety problems, and people will talk about Netanyahu's legacy and what he did for Israel for a long time.

👉 Israeli-Palestinian conflict