Benjamin Netanyahu Biography

Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu is a famous public and political figure of Israel. He was elected as Israel’s Prime Minister from 1996 to 1999. He has been Prime Minister of Israel since 2009. Benjamin Netanyahu is the leader of the Likud party (1993-1999 and since 2005). In total, he was served as the finance minister of Israel three times, but in August 9, 2005 he resigned from his post in the name of supporting the protest against the withdrawal of Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip. In December 2005, he was elected the Leader of the Opposition in the Knesset. Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister born after the state’s independence. He is one of the most important persons in the whole country, whose role for Israel cannot be overemphasized. He has changed the life of the entire country for better.

Bibi Netanyahu was born in 1949 in Tel Aviv in the family of the professor of history Benzion Netanyahu (“Benjamin Netanyahu Biography”). Bibi spent his childhood in Jerusalem, but during his high school years he and his family lived in the USA, where they had to move temporarily. He returned to Israel in 1967 and immediately drafted into the IDF, where he served in the Special Forces General Staff (“Sayeret Matkal”). During the period of military service, Netanyahu participated in various special operations, including the famous operation to free the trapped passenger airliner by terrorists of the Sabena group in 1972. In the same year, Benjamin Netanyahu was awarded with a special distinction for his professionalism as the commander of Special Forces teams. This award was presented to him by the late General Mota Gur. After completing the military service in the IDF, Benjamin Netanyahu held the regular reservist duties. He participated in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, during which he had received the rank of Major.

In 1982, Netanyahu was appointed as the head of the political department of the Embassy of Israel in the United States. At that time, Netanyahu was known as an active and convincing advocate, who successfully explained the foreign policy of the world community the state of Israel. After returning to Israel in 1988, Netanyahu was elected to the Knesset of the party Likud. In early 1991, during the Gulf War, Netanyahu played a leading role in the information campaign of Israel in the international arena. In the second half of 1991, he was a member of the Israeli delegation at an international conference on the peaceful settlement of Madrid. Later, he was a member of the first commission for the development of the principles of the strategic cooperation between Israel and the United States. In 1993, Mr. Netanyahu was elected chairman of the party Likud and he led his party to the parliamentary opposition. In May 1996, he won the direct election of the head of the government and became the prime minister of Israel (“Benjamin Netanyahu Biography”).

The importance of Netanyahu as the prime minister of Israel was in the fact that during his cadence, he had vigorously fought against terrorism and the peace process initiated at the same time, concluding an agreement with the moderate Palestinians based on the principle of mutual obligations. For those three years, the number of the Palestinian attacks had decreased dramatically. Netanyahu managed to form an international coalition that supported the imposition of severe economic sanctions against Iran, which led to a crisis in this country and forced the Tehran leadership to agree to the negotiations on its nuclear program. The fact that the  negotiations are underway today in a rather problematic vein is not the fault of Netanyahu. He did everything in his power. That is how he speaks about terrorism: “The root cause of terrorism lies not in grievances but in a disposition toward unbridled violence. This can be traced to a world view which asserts that certain ideological and religious goals justify, indeed demand, the shedding of all moral inhibitions” (Wilkinson).

In the economic sphere, Prime Minister Netanyahu has pursued a policy of liberalization that has touched mainly the monetary sphere. During his tenure as the head of the government, the volume of the foreign investments in Israel’s high-tech companies increased significantly, reaching several billion dollars a year. Netanyahu served as an advisor to a number of the major companies in the field of high technology. He is often invited as a lecturer at various international forums.

Among the most important achievements brought to life thanks to Netanyahu as the leader of the government of Israel are the adoption of the biennial budget and the new Law on the Bank of Israel as well as the reform of the Land Office, which should facilitate the construction business and, consequently, lower prices. The next achievement is that the government has increased the allowance for the second, the third, and the fourth child. It should to be noted that the government under Netanyahu’s leadership has allocated a billion shekels to the needs of the elderly; also, the residents of the periphery entered a free year of study at universities. This measure, coupled with the expansion of the railway network and the creation of new jobs, is to prevent the outflow of young people from the periphery to the center. In 2010, the government completed the implementation of the commitments in relation to the people who were evacuated from Gush Katif and northern Samaria. The fight against ‘brain drain’ was a priority for the government of Netanyahu. That is why they decided to create a special program for the return of Israeli scientists to the country. Finally, the government has allocated 400 million shekels for the development of the monuments of the historical heritage. Benjamin Netanyahu said “The right combination is between a free economy and social policy that addresses the needs of society and creates equal opportunity” (“Benjamin Netanyahu Quotes”).

In 2002, Netanyahu returned to politics. At first, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in 2003 he was appointed as the Minister of Finance. Netanyahu contributed to the dynamic development of the economy by encouraging the private enterprise. This policy included budget cuts, tax cuts, promoting the transition from the status of the people receiving social allowances to the status of the workers, the fight against monopolies in the Israeli economy, privatization and the pension reform. These economic steps led to approving managers from the developed Western countries and the strengthening of the position of Israel in the ratings of international credit organizations and currency funds. While in declined in 2000 and 2001, the economic level of Israel began to improve in 2003, and in 2004 the situation stabilized (Miller).Since 2005, the economic level has continued to rise over the next five years, an average of 5% a year, unemployment has dropped from 11% in 2003 to 9% in 2005, and hundreds of thousands of Israelis have found work (Miller).

While one may not agree with the international tactics of Netanyahu, but there is no doubt that the head of government acts for the good of the state. The person who risks his political career and puts at stake all his previous political achievements, deserves respect. Thanks to Netanyahu, Israel reached a new level on the world political arena and finally received the opportunity to change the world. With Netanyahu as Prime Minister, the living standards of citizens were improved, the crime was reduced, the economy stabilized. Netanyahu confirms his status of an outstanding diplomat.