Born in Israel in 1949, Netanyahu is the first prime minister who was born after the establishment of the state. He grew up in the United States, and returned to Israel to serve in the IDF, in the elite forces, before completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at M.I.T. Between 1982-1988 he was Consul General at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, and later, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations. In these roles, he appeared often in the American media.
Netanyahu was elected to the 12th Knesset (1988) on behalf of the Likud, and was appointed Vice Foreign Minister. In 1993, After the Labor Party took over the government, Netanyahu was elected to lead the Likud. During this time, he expressed his objection to the Oslo Accords.
Netanyahu was elected Prime Minister In 1996, by a majority of 50.49%. The Netanyahu government did not dismiss the Oslo Accords, but refused to go ahead with the withdrawal from the territories, for as long as the Palestinians were not fulfilling their obligations. Terrorist attacks on Israel diminished significantly during his tenure.
In October 1998, the Wye River Memorandum was signed, in which Israel agreed to withdraw from some of the territories, in exchange for changes in the Palestinian Authority policies. Due to the delay in the implementation of the Wye Memorandum, among other reasons, the elections to the 15th Knesset were advanced. In 1999, Ehud Barak won by a clear majority. On election night, Netanyahu resigned from the Likud leadership.
Netanyahu was back in the government in 2002, first as Foreign Minister and then as Minister of Finance. He pursued a clearly capitalist policy, including cuts in welfare budgets, privatization and various reforms. His actions led to economical growth, but his critics claimed that they favored the rich and widened socio-economic disparities.
In 2005, Netanyahu was once again head of The Opposition. nevertheless, he supported the government's military actions in Lebanon and Gaza. In 2009, Netanyahu was elected Prime Minister for the second time.
In 2013, Netanyahu was elected Prime Minister of Israel for the third time, and in 2015, he was elected a fourth time. In May 2020, after 3 election campaigns that resulted in failed attempts to form a government, Netanyahu was sworn in for a fifth term as Israeli Prime Minister, alongside Bnei Gantz, who was sworn in as Vice Prime Minister. The two are slated to switch positions a year and a half later.
Source:http://www.knesset.gov.il
