Benjamin Netanyahu, also known as Bibi, is a former Prime Minister of Israel who served from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021.
Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1949. He is the son of Benzion Netanyahu, a historian and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, and Tzila Segal. Netanyahu studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in economics, respectively.
After graduating from Harvard, Netanyahu worked as an economic consultant for the Boston Consulting Group. He then moved back to Israel in 1978 to found the Yonatan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute. From 1984 to 1988, Netanyahu was Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations. Netanyahu rose to prominence after being elected as the chairman of Likud in 1993, becoming Leader of the Opposition. In the 1996 election, Netanyahu beat Shimon Peres, becoming the first Israeli prime minister elected directly by popular vote, and its youngest-ever.
Netanyahu’s time in office was marked by a number of challenges, including the Second Intifada, the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and the withdrawal from southern Lebanon. He was defeated in the 1999 election by Ehud Barak, but returned to power in 2009.
As Prime Minister, Netanyahu oversaw a period of economic growth and stability. He also took a hard line on Iran and the Palestinians, and was a vocal critic of the Obama administration. Netanyahu was defeated in the 2021 election by Naftali Bennett.