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.
In the aftermath of Oct. 7 and the ongoing war, there are several key takeaways in the changing IDF intelligence chiefs.
The Cairo trip comes amid debate about Netanyahu's firm stance that the IDF must maintain a presence in the Philadelphi Corridor.
Netanyahu's commitment to securing the Philadelphi Corridor is crucial. Critics are wrong—leaving this area would repeat past mistakes, risking Israel's safety and future.
A schedule for high-level talks initially set for Cairo on Wednesday has yet to be finalized, nor is it clear if it will be held in Egypt or Qatar.
Netanyahu spoke as strikes and counter-strikes between Hezbollah and Israel in the north heated up, including aerial attacks by the Iranian proxy group in the area of Katzrin and Kibbutz Amiad.
Movers and shakers in Israeli society.
Both during Blinken's visit and in its aftermath, Netanyahu insisted that the IDF must remain in two critical security corridors in Gaza.
There is a “fierce urgency” to get this "done in the days ahead, and we will do everything possible to get it across the finish line,” Blinken told reporters after visiting Israel, Egypt, and Qatar.
Families of Israeli hostages met Blinken and Netanyahu, expressing mixed feelings about progress in negotiations with Hamas.
Family members of eight American hostages will attend the DNC in Chicago, urging a ceasefire, hostage release, and humanitarian aid for Gaza.
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