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| “ | There are those who say that if the Holocaust had not occurred, the State of Israel would never have been established. But I say that if the State of Israel would have been established earlier, the Holocaust would not have occurred. This is the homeland of the Jewish people, this is where our identity was forged. | „ |
| ~ Netanyahu during his "Bar-Ilan speech" in June 2009 |
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (October 21st, 1949 - ) is the 9th and current Prime Minister of Israel, holding the position since 2009, and previously also from 1996 to 1999. He is also currently a member of the Knesset and the Chairman of the Likud party. He is the first Israeli Prime Minister born in Israel after the establishment of the state as well as the youngest Prime Minister ever elected (when he was first elected in 1996.)
Prior to entering politics, Netanyahu previously served in the Israel Defense Forces from 1967 to 1973, taking part in combat operations during the War of Attrition, the Yom Kippur War, and the Suez Canal Crisis, managing to attain the rank of captain before he was honorably discharged. He served as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 until 1988, after which he first joined the Knesset as a member of Likud, becoming chairman in 1993.
During Ariel Sharon's premiership, Netanyahu served as both Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served as Leader of the Opposition in the Knesset during Ehud Olmert's premiership.
Netanyahu is a controversial and polarizing figure. He is known to have a hardline stance against Palestine and has constantly fought against the recognition of a Palestinian state, notably being opposed to the Oslo Accords. Oppression of Palestinians is shown to have increased under him. In recent years, attacks carried out in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have caused some to go so far as accusing Netanyahu's government of committing war crimes against Palestinians and even committing ethnic cleansing and possibly genocide against Palestinians.
In addition to his questionable treatment of Palestinians, Netanyahu has also faced numerous accusations of political corruption on charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust, which Netanyahu himself has denied. Despite this, the Israeli attorney general announced his intention to file indictments against Netanyahu on bribe and fraud charges in three different cases in February 2019. This would make Netanyahu the first sitting Prime Minister in Israeli history to be indicted on criminal charges.
Netanyahu is considered allies with a number of authoritarian world leaders, including Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orbán, Jair Bolsonaro, and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
In spite of this, Netanyahu has done many good things as well. He is supportive of the LGBT community and same-sex marriage, supports the Ethiopian Jew and African Hebrew communities, and is also credited with making important reforms to the Israeli economy.
Netanyau has been married three times. He has three children and several grandchildren. Netanyahu's paternal grandfather was Nathan Mileikowsky, a leading Zionist rabbi and JNF fundraiser. Netanyahu's older brother, Yonatan, was killed in Uganda during Operation Entebbe in 1976. His younger brother, Iddo, is a radiologist and writer. All three brothers served in the Sayeret Matkal reconnaissance unit of the Israel Defense Forces.