BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, THE MAN

Benjamin Netanyahu is the first and only Israeli prime minister born in Israel after the State of Israel's founding in 1948.

"Bibi" (a nickname of his youth) was raised in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, where he attended and graduated from the Cheltenham High School. To this day, he speaks English with an American accent. In 1967 after he graduated from high school, Netanyahu returned to Israel to enlist in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Netanyahu served as a combat soldier and a commander in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, taking part in many missions including a hostage rescue mission of the hijacked Sabena Flight 571 in May 1972; during the course of which he was wounded by friendly fire. Shortly thereafter he left the army with the rank of captain.


With the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Netanyahu returned to Israel, joining the IDF forces battling at the Suez Canal and in the Golan Heights. After the war Netanyahu returned to complete his studies in the United States.


Benjamin Netanyahu, Combat Veteran


After the war Netanyahu returned to the United States, studied and earned a B.S. degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975, an M.S. degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1977, and studied political science at Harvard University.

Netanyahu served as the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988, member of the Likud Party, and was Prime Minister from June 1996 to July 1999. In Ariel Sharon's governments Netanyahu was Foreign Minister (2002–2003) and Finance Minister (2003–August 2005), but he departed over disagreements regarding the Gaza Disengagement Plan. Following the February 2009 parliamentary election, Netanyahu became Prime Minister of a coalition government. He is the brother of Israeli Special Forces commander Yonatan Netanyahu, who died during a hostage rescue mission, and Iddo Netanyahu, an Israeli author and playwright.

Lt. Col Yonatan Netanyahu (13 March 1946 - 4 July 1976), Israeli Special Forces

"Yani" - the older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin - was killed leading the raid to rescue hostages at Entebbe Airport, Uganda. A Harvard University graduate, he was wounded in the 1967 Six Day War and performed great acts of heroism in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. As head of Israel's elite Sayaret Matkal unit, he was assigned the task of putting together the rescue of 103 Jewish hostages from a hijacked Air France plane being held by German and Arab terrorists at Entebbe Airport. Flying for 12 hours under enemy radar, the task force landed, rescued the hostages and were airborne in 90 minutes. During a fire-fight with Ugandan army regulars, Netanyahu was shot in the back by a sniper in the air traffic tower. After his death it was revealed that he was an agent for the Mossad as well.

Yani is buried in Mount Herzl Military Cemetary in Jerusalem.

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