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137-629: In 1996, under the orders of the then prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu , an exit from the Western Wall Tunnel was opened into the Via Dolorosa underneath the school's entrance stairs. This was interpreted by some in the Arab population as a land-grab, and over the subsequent week, 80 people were killed as a result of riots against the creation of the exit. To its south is the part of the northern wall of

274-405: A coma , observed Mashal's symptoms to be consistent with an opioid overdose . They administered the antidote, which saved Mashal's life. According to Ronen Bergman based on internal IDF sources, Mashal's antidote only secured the release of the two Mossad Kidon agents that were carrying out the assassination attempt. At least six other Mossad agents involved in the operations were holed up in

411-423: A rotation agreement between Netanyahu and Benny Gantz . This collapsed in 2020, leading to a March 2021 election . In June 2021, Netanyahu was removed from the premiership, before returning after the 2022 election . Netanyahu's coalition pursued judicial reform , which was met with protests in early 2023 . In October 2023, Israel suffered a large-scale attack by Hamas -led Palestinian groups, triggering

548-556: A Jewish and democratic state". However, the ban was later overturned by the Supreme Court. The National Election Commission announced that 34 parties had filed to run, and the election is expected to cost 250 million shekels . The parties listed below are ordered by the number of seats each of these parties eventually received in the 2013 Israeli legislative elections: In early December 2011, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially announced that early primaries would be held for

685-767: A Palestinian state." In 1978, Netanyahu returned to Israel. Between 1978 and 1980, he ran the Jonathan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute, a non-governmental organization devoted to the study of terrorism; the Institute held a number of international conferences focused on the discussion of international terrorism. From 1980 to 1982, he was director of marketing for Rim Industries in Jerusalem. During this period Netanyahu made his first connections with several Israeli politicians, including Minister Moshe Arens . Arens appointed him as his Deputy Chief of Mission at

822-523: A Pittsburgh SWAT unit allowed his speeches to continue downtown at the hall and the Duquesne Club as well as suburban Robert Morris University . On 12 September 2002, Netanyahu testified (under oath as a private citizen) before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding the nuclear threat posed by the Iraqi régime: "There is no question whatsoever that Saddam

959-399: A bloated public sector and excessive regulations were largely responsible for stifling economic growth. His plan involved a move toward more liberalized markets , although it was not without its critics. He instituted a program to end welfare dependency by requiring people to apply for jobs or training, reduced the size of the public sector, froze government spending for three years, and capped

1096-581: A civil war. Netanyahu refused, and the incident quickly grew in political significance. With Israeli-Jordanian relations rapidly deteriorating, King Hussein threatened to void the historic 1994 peace between the two countries should Mashal die. U.S President Bill Clinton intervened and compelled Netanyahu to turn over the antidote. The head of Mossad, Danny Yatom , flew to Jordan, with Netanyahu's consent, bringing an antidote to treat Mashal. The doctors at King Hussein Medical Center , where Mashal lay in

1233-407: A device to Mashal's left ear that transmitted a fast-acting poison. Mashal's bodyguards were suspicious prior to the attack and were able to chase the agents down and capture them. Other agents were also found and captured. In an interview, he described the attack as "a loud noise in my ear ... like a boom, like an electric shock." Initially, he thought the agents had failed to hurt him but later in

1370-499: A double-load while simultaneously taking courses at Harvard University , completing his bachelor's degree in architecture in two and a half years, despite taking a break to fight in the Yom Kippur War. Professor Leon B. Groisser at MIT recalled: "He did superbly. He was very bright. Organized. Strong. Powerful. He knew what he wanted to do and how to get it done." At that time he changed his name to Benjamin " Ben " Nitai (Nitai,

1507-400: A government including right-wing parties Likud , Yisrael Beiteinu , the ultra-orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism , the religious Zionist Jewish Home , and the centre-left Labor Party . Although there were disagreements between the coalition parties on issues of national security and the peace process , and separation of church and state , the government was relatively stable and

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1644-525: A group of people associated with Rabbi Auerbach registered a new party under the name Netzah . After Menachem Carmel, who is affiliated with this group, did not win the third position in the United Torah Judaism list, it was officially announced that the "Netzah" would be running in the 2013 Israeli legislative election. Since she lost the primaries for the leadership of the Kadima party and resigned from

1781-561: A majority of 66 of the 120 seats in the Knesset. Prime Minister Netanyahu's initial popularity remained stable, as he managed to overcome various events that could have endangered the stability of his government—such as the political speech at the Bar-Ilan University at the beginning of his term in which he endorsed the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel for the first time, the government's agreement to freeze construction in

1918-401: A mandate." The Knesset House Committee's approval on 7 May for the expedition of the bill to dissolve the 18th Knesset allowing for plenum vote. The committee bill was approved by a vote of 13 to four. Though Shas voted against the measure, a party member said that "Shas' unambiguous stance is to support the early elections and the legislation. [Shas MKs] abstained due to confusion. We support

2055-553: A new government he would seek to have as large and stable a governing coalition as possible in order to "deal with the great challenges that we will face". He also said that his other priority would be to tackle the still high levels of crime. "We know that there has been a reduction of 30% in the incidence of murder, but these cases are brutal and underline our acknowledged need to battle these occurrences full force." He said that Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino were tasked with compiling

2192-464: A new law should "make the burden [of serving in the IDF or civilian service] more equal and fair". Yisrael Beiteinu said the dissolution should have been postponed so that its proposed Equal National Service for All bill could be voted upon. Similarly, Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz told the "Suckers Camp" (מאהל הפראיירים) protesters outside Likud's political convention that this was an "historic opportunity to clean

2329-474: A new party. Lapid continued to write his weekly column in Yediot Aharonot until the elections were officially announced. Lapid ultimately decided to name his party Yesh Atid . His father's ( Tommy Lapid ) secular movement party Shinui used the election symbol 'yesh'. The party will have to submit a list of 100 founders and will be capped at raising 13.5 million shekels during this election cycle. At

2466-469: A reference to both Mount Nitai and to the eponymous Jewish sage Nittai of Arbela , was a pen name often used by his father for articles). Years later, in an interview with the media, Netanyahu clarified that he decided to do so to make it easier for Americans to pronounce his name. This fact has been used by his political rivals to accuse him indirectly of a lack of Israeli national identity and loyalty. In 1976, Netanyahu's older brother Yonatan Netanyahu

2603-589: A report into the 37 murders in 2012, in comparison to 52 in 2011, and said he was confident in curbing the trend. Campaign issues, particularly in regards to attacking the Netanyahu government , are expected to be Netanyahu's relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama over Israel-Iran relations in light of the controversy over the Iranian nuclear programme , the stalling of the Israel-Palestinian peace process ,

2740-564: A response, Netanyahu authorized the assassination of Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Jordan. On 25 September 1997, Mossad agents acting under orders from Netanyahu and his security cabinet attempted to assassinate him. The agents entered Jordan on fake Canadian passports and disguised as tourists. Two of them waited at the entrance of the Hamas offices in Jordan's capital Amman, and, as Mashal walked into his office, one of them came up from behind and held

2877-698: A result, Hamas responded by firing rockets and mortars at various localities in Israel, especially in the southern Israel region, but also in addition, for the first time in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, managed to shoot rockets at Israel's biggest metropolitan area in the central region of Israel. The operation in the Gaza Strip gained the support of most parties, including various opposition parties. However, some parties, including Meretz , Hadash , and all Israeli Arab parties, expressed their strong opposition to

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3014-525: A role in his defeat in the 1999 Israeli general election . After being defeated by Ehud Barak in the 1999 Israeli prime ministerial election , Netanyahu temporarily retired from politics. He subsequently served as a senior consultant with Israeli communications equipment manufacturer BATM Advanced Communications for two years. With the fall of the Barak government in late 2000, Netanyahu expressed his desire to return to politics. By law, Barak's resignation

3151-524: A separate pro-Land-of-Israel alliance, called Otzma LeYisrael . Meanwhile, Tkuma decided to run together with the Jewish Home. As part of the agreement, it was established that Naftali Bennett would serve as the alliance's chairman while Uri Ariel would be in the second position of the list and that after the elections both parties would merge into a single party. Uri Bank and his Moledet party also joined. The primaries were held on 6 November 2012 for

3288-634: A street in Amman . The plot was exposed and two agents were arrested by the Jordanian police while three others hid in the Israeli embassy which was then surrounded by troops. An angry King Hussein demanded Israel to give out the antidote and threatened to annul the peace treaty. Netanyahu relented to the demands after pressure by US President Bill Clinton and ordered the release of 61 Jordanian and Palestinian prisoners including Sheikh Ahmad Yassin . The incident sent

3425-597: A surprise move, Sharon offered the Foreign Ministry to Silvan Shalom and offered Netanyahu the Finance Ministry . Some pundits speculated that Sharon made the move because he deemed Netanyahu a political threat given his demonstrated effectiveness as foreign minister, and that by placing him in the Finance Ministry during a time of economic uncertainty, he could diminish Netanyahu's popularity. Netanyahu accepted

3562-503: A team-leader in the unit. He was wounded in combat on multiple occasions. He was involved in many other missions, including the 1968 Israeli raid on Lebanon and the rescue of the hijacked Sabena Flight 571 in May 1972, in which he was shot in the shoulder. He was discharged from active service in 1972 but remained in the Sayeret Matkal reserves. Following his discharge, he left to study in

3699-421: Is a day of hope for the citizens of Israel. It is an opportunity to replace the bad Netanyahu government that has isolated Israel politically over the past four years, damaged Israel's deterrence, and deteriorated the middle class." Two parties can make an agreement so that the sum of both parties' surplus votes are combined , and if the combined surplus votes amounts to an extra seat, then the extra seat goes to

3836-681: Is an alliance of two Haredi parties, the Hasidic Agudat Israel party and the Lithuanian Degel HaTorah party. In 2012, a split occurred among the Lithuanian Haredi public, as a group within the Degel HaTorah party which regards itself as the successor of Rabbi Elazar Shach and affiliated with Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach , felt that it is not represented by the party. After it was announced that early elections would be held,

3973-709: Is chair of the Likud party. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, having served a total of over 17 years. Born to secular Jewish parents, Netanyahu was raised in West Jerusalem and the United States. He returned to Israel in 1967 to join the Israel Defense Forces and served in the Sayeret Matkal special forces as a captain before being honorably discharged. After graduating from

4110-407: Is four full years plus eight more months, starting from the month of its election (February 2009). The expected date for a regular election was to be on 22 October 2013, but an early election was announced. Likud's coalition chairman MK Ze'ev Elkin wanted the election to be scheduled for 4 September 2012. He got support for the motion from Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas and Labor; however, Kadima wanted

4247-540: Is predominantly Ashkenazi , he has said that a DNA test revealed him to have some Sephardic ancestry. He claims descent from the Vilna Gaon . Netanyahu was the second of three children. He was initially raised and educated in Jerusalem , where he attended Henrietta Szold Elementary School. A copy of his evaluation from his 6th grade teacher Ruth Rubenstein indicated that Netanyahu was courteous, polite, and helpful; that he

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4384-452: Is seeking and is working and is advancing towards the development of nuclear weapons – no question whatsoever", he said. "And there is no question that once he acquires it, history shifts immediately." In his testimony, Netanyahu also said, "If you take out Saddam, Saddam's regime, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region." After the 2003 Israeli legislative election , in what many observers regarded as

4521-509: The 1996 election , becoming the youngest person in the history of the position and the first Israeli prime minister to be born in the State of Israel ( Yitzhak Rabin was born in Jerusalem, under the British Mandate of Palestine, prior to the 1948 founding of the Israeli state). Netanyahu's victory over the pre-election favorite Shimon Peres surprised many. The main catalyst in the downfall of

4658-416: The 2011 Israeli social justice protests and the aforementioned Tal law. On 25 October 2012, Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman announced that Yisrael Beiteinu and Likud would present a common list (without merging) in the 2013 general elections. "A joining of forces will give us the strength to defend Israel from military threats, and

4795-448: The Israel Defense Forces . He trained as a combat soldier and served for five years in a special forces unit of the IDF, Sayeret Matkal . He took part in numerous cross-border raids during the 1967–70 War of Attrition , including the March 1968 Battle of Karameh , when the IDF attacked Jordan to capture PLO leader Yasser Arafat but were repulsed with heavy casualties, rising to become

4932-561: The Israeli Labor Party left the coalition and vacated the position of foreign minister, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appointed Netanyahu as foreign minister. Netanyahu challenged Sharon for the leadership of the Likud party in the 2002 Likud leadership election , but failed to oust him. On 9 September 2002, a scheduled speech by Netanyahu at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

5069-642: The Israel–Hamas war . Due to the failure to anticipate the attack, Netanyahu has been criticized for presiding over Israel's biggest intelligence failure in 50 years, and has faced protests calling for his removal. Netanyahu's government has been accused of genocide , culminating in the South Africa v. Israel case before the International Court of Justice in December 2023. In May 2024, Karim Khan ,

5206-692: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Netanyahu worked for the Boston Consulting Group and moved back to Israel in 1978 to found the Yonatan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute . Between 1984 and 1988 Netanyahu was Israel's ambassador to the United Nations . Netanyahu rose to prominence after election as chair of Likud in 1993 , becoming leader of the opposition . In the 1996 general election , Netanyahu became

5343-600: The Otzma LeYisrael party, headed by Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari, has come under scrutiny due to its alleged denial of Israel as both a Jewish and democratic state. On 20 December, the Committee declared it would not ban any of those parties. On 19 December, the Committee voted to disqualify the Israeli Arab MK Haneen Zoabi from being re-elected on grounds of "supporting terrorism and rejecting Israel as

5480-706: The United Nations . The new status equates Palestine's with that of the Holy See . In response, the inner cabinet approved the building of housing units in area E1 , connecting Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim . The ultra-orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism had men-only party lists, based on their belief that women in the Knesset would violate modesty laws. Because of this, the Central Elections Committee received petitions in December 2012 to disqualify both parties for being discriminatory. Likewise,

5617-573: The West Bank , in light of the common belief of the Israeli public that the diplomatic relations between the United States and Israel had worsened during Netanyahu's term, the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident and its implications, the outbreak of the Mount Carmel forest fire in December 2010 and the various government oversights which were attributed to this blunder, as well as the growing debate within

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5754-627: The al-Aqsa Compound that includes al-Muḥdathiyya (al-Maḥdithiyya), al-Jawiliyya and aṣ-Ṣabībiyya (aṣ-Ṣubaybiyya) Madrasas. To its southeast is the part of the wall with the Gate of the Bani Ghānim . 31°46′49″N 35°14′03″E  /  31.780325°N 35.234206°E  / 31.780325; 35.234206 This article relating to education in Asia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article relating to archaeology in

5891-457: The debate club , chess club , and soccer . He and his brother Yonatan grew dissatisfied with what they saw as the superficial way of life they encountered in the area, including the prevalent youth counterculture movement and the liberal sensibilities of the Reform synagogue, Temple Judea of Philadelphia , that the family attended. I have great respect for the unit. This is a unit that changes

6028-684: The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced his intention to apply for an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, along with members of his cabinet and Hamas leadership, for war crimes and crimes against humanity as part of the ICC investigation in Palestine . The ICC issued an arrest warrant on 21 November of the same year for Netanyahu along with former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas militant Mohammed Deif , whom Israel presumes dead after an airstrike . Netanyahu

6165-530: The 120 members of the nineteenth Knesset . Public debate over the Tal Law had nearly led to early elections in 2012, but they were aborted at the last moment after Kadima briefly joined the government. The elections were later called in early October 2012 after failure to agree on the budget for the 2013 fiscal year. The elections saw the Likud Yisrael Beiteinu alliance emerge as the largest faction in

6302-744: The 1996 Israeli election were marred by a series of Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. After the Shin Bet assassinated Hamas military leader Yahya Ayyash on 5 January 1996, Mohammed Deif , now commander of the Qassam Brigades , organized a mass-casualty bombing campaign inside Israel as retaliation, including the Dizengoff Center suicide bombing in Tel Aviv and the two Jaffa Road bus bombings in Jerusalem. These operations were, in their scale, scope and sophistication, different and larger than any attacks of

6439-480: The Ansariya ambush. Netanyahu called it "one of the worst tragedies that has ever occurred to us". These major Israeli failures against Hamas and Hezbollah under Netanyahu's first premiership and their results in the subsequent releases of imprisoned Palestinian and Lebanese leaders from Israeli jails are thought to have dealt a blow to Netanyahu's rhetoric of a "tough stance" towards enemies of Israel, and to have played

6576-615: The Golan Heights , and brokered the Abraham Accords , normalization agreements between Israel and the Arab world . Netanyahu has faced criticism over expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank , deemed illegal under international law . In 2019, Netanyahu was indicted on charges of breach of trust, bribery and fraud , and relinquished all ministerial posts, except prime minister. The 2018–2022 Israeli political crisis led to

6713-458: The Golan Heights, no discussion of the case of Jerusalem, no negotiations under any preconditions. In 1997, Netanyahu authorized a Mossad operation to assassinate Hamas leader Khaled Mashal in Jordan , just three years after the two countries had signed a peace treaty . The Mossad team, covering as five Canadian tourists, entered Jordan on 27 September 1997 and injected poison into Mashal's ears in

6850-580: The High Court of Justice. It was also supported by the Independence party, but failed after Shas appealed an expedited process pass through the Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs, which meant it would have to be rediscussed and could not pass. The dissolution of parliament would force an automatic extension of the law, due to expire on 1 August, for another six to eight months. Netanyahu said

6987-570: The Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while Arens was ambassador to the United States, a position he held from 1982 until 1984. During the 1982 Lebanon War , he was called up for reserve duty in Sayeret Matkal and requested to be released from service, preferring to remain in the US and serve as a spokesperson for Israel in the wake of harsh international criticism of the war. He presented Israel's case to

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7124-475: The Israeli Prime Minister's Office. Following the defeat of the Likud party in the 1992 Israeli legislative elections the Likud party held a party leadership election in 1993 , and Netanyahu was victorious, defeating Benny Begin , son of the late prime minister Menachem Begin , and veteran politician David Levy (Sharon initially sought Likud party leadership as well, but quickly withdrew when it

7261-580: The Israeli cabinet voted 17 to 5 to approve the initial phase of withdrawal from Gaza . Following the withdrawal of Sharon from the Likud, Netanyahu was one of several candidates who vied for the Likud leadership. His most recent attempt prior to this was in September 2005 when he had tried to hold early primaries for the position of the head of the Likud party, while the party held the office of prime minister – thus effectively pushing Ariel Sharon out of office. The party rejected this initiative. Netanyahu retook

7398-477: The Israeli economy started booming and unemployment fell significantly, Netanyahu was widely credited by commentators as having performed an 'economic miracle' by the end of his tenure. However, opponents in the Labor party (and even a few within his own Likud) viewed Netanyahu's policies as "Thatcherite" attacks on the venerated Israeli social safety net. Ultimately, unemployment declined while economic growth soared,

7535-403: The Israeli embassy. King Hussein would only release them if Israel released Ahmed Yassin and a large number of other Palestinian prisoners. King Hussein needed the demands to be "enough to enable the king to be able to publicly defend the release of the hit team." In a 2008 interview, Mashal said of the attempt on his life: "[It] made me more positive about life. I became more courageous in

7672-622: The Israeli public about a pre-emptive attack on Iran. However, a decline in the popularity of Netanyahu and his government occurred in summer 2011 following the protests about social justice . Nevertheless, the decline passed quickly after Netanyahu's speech at the General debate of the sixty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2011 following the Palestinian diplomatic campaign to gain full membership of

7809-467: The Knesset legislation proceedings aimed at preventing the influx of Israeli journalists running for a position in the Knesset during their first year after they ended their journalist careers. Despite Lapid's denials about going into politics and in light of his obligations to end his journalism career long before that, Lapid officially announced in early January 2012 that he was leaving his journalism career in order to enter politics and that he would lead

7946-451: The Knesset, as The Jewish Home supported the idea of running open primaries while The National Union opposed it. In September 2012, Ya'akov Katz (Moledet) signed an agreement with Jewish Home leadership candidate Naftali Bennett to form a joint list for the elections. On 12 October 2012, Michael Ben-Ari ( Eretz Yisrael Shelanu ) announced that due to not being placed in realistic spots, he and Aryeh Eldad ( Hatikva ) would be running in

8083-471: The Knesset, many reports spread in the Israeli media of Tzipi Livni's possible return to politics as the head of a new party of her own. Those reports eventually turned out to be true on 27 November, when the logo for her new party titled "Hatnua - headed by Tzipi Livni" was initially published. At a press conference held during the same day, Livni officially announced the establishment of the Hatnua party which would be headed by her and which would participate in

8220-422: The Knesset, winning 31 of the 120 seats. Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu formed the country's thirty-third government after establishing a coalition with Yesh Atid , the Jewish Home , and Hatnua , which between them held 68 seats. Following the 2009 elections , in which right-wing and religious parties won the majority (65 out of 120, or 54%) of the seats, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu established

8357-444: The Labour Party enabled Barak to keep a faction of Labour MKs loyal to him within Netanyahu's coalition, preventing the departure of all 13 Labour MKs from the coalition. Due to the split, the party remained without a chairman for a while and was even regarded in the public and the media as a party in demise. However, Barak's departure led to increased interest in the party, particularly since the remaining members began campaigning to win

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8494-448: The Likud campaign slogan was, "Netanyahu – making a safe peace ". However, although Netanyahu won the election for prime minister, Peres's Israeli Labor Party received more seats in the Knesset elections . Netanyahu had to rely on a coalition with the ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and UTJ in order to form a government. A spate of suicide bombings reinforced the Likud position for security. Hamas claimed responsibility for most of

8631-406: The Near East is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about the region of Palestine is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician, serving as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. He

8768-579: The Oslo Accords, Prime Minister Netanyahu continued their implementation, but his Premiership saw a marked slow-down in the peace process. In 1996, Netanyahu and Jerusalem 's mayor Ehud Olmert decided to open an exit in the Arab Quarter for the Western Wall Tunnel , which prior prime minister Shimon Peres had instructed to be put on hold for the sake of peace. This sparked three days of rioting by Palestinians, resulting in dozens of both Israelis and Palestinians being killed. Netanyahu first met Palestinian President Arafat on 4 September 1996. Prior to

8905-401: The United Nations, and following cross-border attacks in the south of the country in August 2011. In addition, Netanyahu's popularity was increased after the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange was approved and Shalit was released. These events led to the highest level of public support Netanyahu had received since the start of his term in office. As a result of the high levels of support for

9042-453: The United States but returned in October 1973 to serve in the Yom Kippur War . He took part in special forces raids along the Suez Canal against Egyptian forces before leading a commando attack deep inside Syrian territory, the details of which remain classified today. Netanyahu returned to the United States in late 1972 to study architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After briefly returning to Israel to fight in

9179-426: The Yom Kippur War, he returned to the United States and, under the name Ben Nitay , completed a bachelor's degree in architecture in February 1975 and earned a master's degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1976. Concurrently, he was studying towards a doctorate in political science, until his studies were broken off by the death of his brother in the Entebbe raid . At MIT, Netanyahu studied

9316-419: The account of Kadima. Down the road, and especially after Yair Lapid declared that he would enter politics, Yachimovich's popularity and the popularity of the party were slightly moderated. In January 2012 the party got a lot of media attention after Noam Shalit (father of Gilad Shalit ) and former head of the Unit of International Crime Investigations Moshe Mizrahi both announced that they would be joining

9453-402: The announcement included the Labor Party's Shelley Yachimovich who said that despite lagging in opinion polls to Likud there was a "reasonable probability" of winning and that "the public today understands that security is not just on the borders, but is also job and income security and health and education security". Kadima's Shaul Mofaz told Channel 10 : "I think the decision for early elections

9590-473: The bill." On 9 October, Netanyahu made a televised address in which he reacted to the inability to pass a budget for the next fiscal year by the deadline of 31 December. He said: "I have decided that it is in Israel's better interest to go to elections now and as quickly as possible. For Israel, it is preferable to have as short a campaign as possible, one of three months over one that would last in practice an entire year and damage Israel's economy." Reactions to

9727-456: The bombings. As prime minister, Netanyahu raised many questions about many central premises of the Oslo Accords . One of his main points was disagreement with the Oslo premise that the negotiations should proceed in stages, meaning that concessions should be made to Palestinians before any resolution was reached on major issues, such as the status of Jerusalem , and the amending of the Palestinian National Charter . Oslo supporters had claimed that

9864-592: The border with the Gaza Strip, the Israeli political leadership ordered the IDF to launch Operation Pillar of Defense , during which the IAF conducted a series of air strikes against militant targets of the Hamas and against the organization's leaders, including the head of the organization's military wing Ahmed Jabari , who was assassinated while he was driving his car in Gaza City . As

10001-656: The budget deficit at 1%. The taxation system was streamlined and taxes were cut, with the top individual tax rate reduced from 64% to 44% and the corporate tax rate from 36% to 18%. A host of state assets worth billions of dollars were privatized, including banks, oil refineries, the El Al national airline, and Zim Integrated Shipping Services . The retirement ages for both men and women were raised, and currency exchange laws were further liberalized. Commercial banks were forced to spin off their long-term savings. In addition, Netanyahu attacked monopolies and cartels to increase competition. As

10138-499: The company between 1976 and 1978. At the Boston Consulting Group, he was a colleague of Mitt Romney , with whom he formed a lasting friendship. Romney described Netanyahu at the time as "a strong personality with a distinct point of view", and said, "We can almost speak in shorthand   ... [w]e share common experiences and have a perspective and underpinning which is similar." Netanyahu said that their "easy communication"

10275-674: The country, open foreign bank accounts, hold foreign currency, and invest freely in other countries. Throughout his term, Netanyahu was opposed by the political left wing in Israel and lost support from the right because of his concessions to the Palestinians in Hebron and elsewhere, and due to his negotiations with Arafat generally. Netanyahu lost favor with the Israeli public after a long chain of scandals involving his marriage and corruption charges. In 1997, police recommended that Netanyahu be indicted on corruption charges for influence-peddling. He

10412-446: The day he developed a severe headache and began vomiting. He was rushed to a Jordanian hospital where his condition rapidly deteriorated. Immediately after the incident, Jordan's King Hussein demanded that Netanyahu turn over the antidote for the poison, threatening to sever diplomatic relations and to try the detained Mossad agents. King Hussein feared that the death of a Hamas leader would trigger riots in his kingdom, perhaps even

10549-509: The debt-to-GDP ratio dropped to one of the lowest in the world, and foreign investment reached record highs. Netanyahu threatened to resign from office in 2004 unless the Gaza pullout plan was put to a referendum. He later modified the ultimatum and voted for the program in the Knesset, indicating immediately thereafter that he would resign unless a referendum was held within 14 days. He submitted his resignation letter on 7 August 2005, shortly before

10686-453: The early morning of 8 May, a few hours before the Knesset was expected to approve the bill which would bring the 18th Knesset's term to its end, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached an agreement with the Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz to join the current government, thus canceling the early election supposed to be held in September. On 17 July, after the failure of parties to reach a compromise on

10823-445: The election 16 September. Meretz, Labor and Elkin submitted different motions for dissolution. Netanyahu told the Likud party on 7 May that he would like an early election saying that he does not "want there to be a year-and-a-half of political instability accompanied by blackmail and populism. I'd prefer a short electoral campaign of four months that will ensure political stability. I would have been very happy if we could have completed

10960-502: The election at all. On 16 October a compromise was reached: Shas would not have a formal chairman, but would instead be jointly led by Deri, Yishai, and Housing and Construction Minister Ariel Atias . The direction of the election campaign is in debate, with reports suggesting that Yishai wishes to focus on fighting illegal immigration , and Deri favoring focusing on social justice issues while avoiding mentions of Shas's treatment of Sudanese refugees in Israel . United Torah Judaism

11097-552: The end of the day the voter turnout was 50% of the total eligible voters. Despite Netanyahu's fears of a low voter turnout, the vast majority of voters supported him, while Moshe Feiglin gained relatively low support. In early May, Netanyahu's attempts to head the Likud central committee were dealt blow as party members called for a secret ballot , which was seen as an hindrance to him in beating out Danny Danon . Popular Communications and Welfare & Social Services Minister and Likud MK Moshe Kahlon declared he will not contest

11234-510: The face of death. My faith became stronger that a man does not die until his time comes. That is, I will die when God decides, not when Mossad decides. It also made me more resolute in fulfilling my responsibilities." On the same day that Hamas bombed the Ben Yehuda street in Jerusalem, Hezbollah executed a well-planned ambush on the IDF's naval specia forces Shayetet 13 in Ansariya, South Lebanon, killing 12 Israeli commandos. On 25 May 1998,

11371-446: The father of future U.S. President Donald Trump . Prior to the 1988 Israeli legislative election , Netanyahu returned to Israel and joined the Likud party. In the Likud's internal elections, Netanyahu was placed fifth on the party list. Later on he was elected as a Knesset member of the 12th Knesset, and was appointed as a deputy of the foreign minister Moshe Arens , and later on David Levy . Netanyahu and Levy did not cooperate and

11508-407: The first Israeli prime minister elected directly by popular vote, and its youngest. Netanyahu was defeated in the 1999 election and retired from politics, entering the private sector. He returned and served as minister of foreign affairs and finance , initiating economic reforms , before resigning over the Gaza disengagement plan . Netanyahu returned to lead Likud in 2005 and was leader of

11645-463: The government's decision. During the operation and the shelling of southern Israel, various parties declared that they would suspend their political campaign until the operation would end—among them the Likud Party and the opposition parties Kadima and the Labor party. On 26 November, Independence leader Ehud Barak announced that he would retire from politics after the next Minister of Defense

11782-493: The government, Netanyahu announced that early primaries would be held in the Likud party, a move which slightly surprised the Israeli political establishment and led to speculations about the possibility that Netanyahu would announce early general elections, due to his high approval ratings. Prior to the decision to dissolve the Knesset, attempts to amend the Tal Law , which allows Haredi to indefinitely defer national service , by Yisrael Beiteinu and Kadima were struck down by

11919-410: The inability to pass the budget, revived the possibility that early elections might be held – a possibility which Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his support of during a special speech he delivered from his public office on 9 October. The table below lists the parliamentary factions represented in the 18th Knesset . Since the term of the 17th Knesset ended prematurely, the term of the 18th Knesset

12056-404: The issue, Kadima voted to pull out of the coalition. The coalition did, however, still have a majority of seats even without Kadima. Nevertheless, the reduced coalition which was now divided between nationalist groups such as Yisrael Beiteinu and Haredi groups such as Shas , cast doubts regarding the coalition's ability to pass a budget for 2013 on the date prescribed by law. This situation, of

12193-482: The latter was a wave of suicide bombings shortly before the elections; on 3 and 4 March 1996 , Palestinians carried out two suicide bombings , killing 32 Israelis, with Peres seemingly unable to stop the attacks. During the campaign, Netanyahu stressed that progress in the peace process would be based on the Palestinian National Authority fulfilling its obligations – mainly fighting terrorism – and

12330-499: The leadership on 20 December 2005, with 47% of the primary vote, to 32% for Silvan Shalom and 15% for Moshe Feiglin . In the March 2006 Knesset elections , Likud took the third place behind Kadima and Labor and Netanyahu served as Leader of the Opposition. On 14 August 2007, Netanyahu was reelected as chairman of the Likud and its candidate for the post of prime minister with 73% of

12467-413: The leadership of the Likud Party – this announcement was later supported and approved by the Likud's Central Committee later that month. The date of the Likud primaries was set for 31 January 2012. Netanyahu's main political opponent in the Likud party, Silvan Shalom , was surprised by the move and even declared it to be illegal, but eventually announced that he would not be running against Netanyahu for

12604-416: The leadership of the party, thus leaving Moshe Feiglin as Netanyahu's sole competitor. During the election day Netanyahu repeatedly attempted to spur the Likud members to come to the polls and vote, nevertheless the turnout remained low. As a result, and due to various many failures at the opening of polling stations across Israel, the voting time was extended by two hours in some places. Nevertheless, at

12741-491: The media during the war and established a highly efficient public relations system in the Israeli embassy. Between 1984 and 1988, Netanyahu served as the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations . Netanyahu was influenced by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson , with whom he formed a relationship during the 1980s. He referred to Schneerson as "the most influential man of our time". At this time Netanyahu became friends with Fred Trump ,

12878-492: The meeting, the two leaders spoke by telephone. The meetings would continue through Autumn 1996. On their first meeting, Netanyahu said: "I would like to emphasize that we have to take into account the needs and the requirements of both sides on the basis of reciprocity and the assurance of the security and well-being of both Israelis and Palestinian alike." Arafat said: "We are determined to work with Mr. Netanyahu and with his government." The talks culminated on 14 January 1997, in

13015-521: The moral stain that is the Tal Law". He also said that the motion to dissolve the legislature at this state was a "stinky political trick" by Netanyahu, Yacimovich, and the Haredi parties. Dalia Itzik of Kadima also reiterated calls to have a new law before the election. On 7 May the Knesset voted on a series of bills relating to its dissolution and holding the election on 4 September, which passed; however, in

13152-425: The multi-stage approach would build goodwill among Palestinians and would propel them to seek reconciliation when these major issues were raised in later stages. Netanyahu said that these concessions only gave encouragement to extremist elements, without receiving any tangible gestures in return. He called for tangible gestures of Palestinian goodwill in return for Israeli concessions. Despite his stated differences with

13289-488: The murder of Ayyash. According to Mike Kelly , Hamas operative Hassan Salameh, who planned three of the attacks, was trained in Iran . In 2000, families of American victims of the attacks filed a lawsuit against Tlass, Kanaan and Iranian Minister of Intelligence Ali Fallahian . According to Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman , Deif's campaign of massive retaliation and the failure of Israeli intelligence services to prevent it,

13426-410: The nascent Israeli-Jordanian relations plummeting. During his term, Netanyahu also began a process of economic liberalization, taking steps towards a free-market economy. Under his watch, the government began selling its shares in banks and major state-run companies. Netanyahu also greatly eased Israel's strict foreign exchange controls , enabling Israelis to take an unrestricted amount of money out of

13563-496: The new appointment. Sharon and Netanyahu came to an agreement that Netanyahu would have complete freedom as finance minister and have Sharon back all of his reforms, in exchange for Netanyahu's silence over Sharon's management of Israel's military and foreign affairs. As finance minister, Netanyahu undertook an economic plan in order to restore Israel's economy from its low point during the Second Intifada . Netanyahu claimed that

13700-474: The non-Haredi public, Shas's popularity began to falter according to most polls. As a result, Shas chairman Eli Yishai requested that Aryeh Deri join the party instead of establishing an independent party. Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef offered Aryeh Deri the 3rd position on the party list, but Deri rejected it at first and was believed to want to lead the party, start his own party (which according to polls might win as many as 7 seats), or not participate in

13837-452: The operation. Some left-wing figures stated that the operation was actually an "Election War" aimed at putting aside socio-economic issues and replacing them with a defense agenda, and claimed that the operation would not help Israel in the long term. After the Israeli government signed the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, a number of figures in the Israeli right-wing political spectrum, including Naftali Bennett and Aryeh Eldad , criticized

13974-499: The opposition between 2006 and 2009. After the 2009 legislative election , Netanyahu formed a coalition with other right-wing parties and became prime minister again. He led Likud to victory in the 2013 and 2015 elections . Netanyahu made his closeness to Donald Trump , a friend since the 1980s, central to his appeal from 2016. During Trump's first presidency , the US recognized Jerusalem as capital of Israel , Israeli sovereignty over

14111-588: The other hand the entry of two other politicians who were positioned in top positions in the new Likud list - Tzachi Hanegbi (who left the Kadima party and joined the Likud party), and Moshe Feiglin , who is considered a political hardliner with a unique political perspective that emphasizes policies that reflect Israel's Jewish identity. On 14 December Avigdor Lieberman resigned as the Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister and as Deputy Prime Minister following an indictment for fraud . During

14248-405: The party with the larger number of surplus votes. Several agreements were signed by parties prior to the election: The decision to have an early election was read as influential over the issue of an attack on Iran. A victory for Likud could bolster the case for an armed strike; however, it was also risky during an election. It would, however, be an election issue. Likud's Netanyahu said that in

14385-480: The party. The Jewish Home and the National Union (an alliance of four parties – Tkuma , Hatikva , Eretz Yisrael Shelanu , and Moledet ) began preparing for the possibility of running in a joint list for the 2013 elections during the term of the 18th Knesset. While negotiations were successful in principle and the two parties reached consensus, disagreements arose regarding the selection of candidates for

14522-503: The past, and it has been alleged that both Syria and Iran had helped in their planning and financing. According to a report, Syrian Minister of Defense Mustafa Tlass instructed Ghazi Kanaan , the commander of Syrian forces in Lebanon , to establish links between Hezbollah and Hamas fighters, who were then trained both in Lebanon and in Iran and participated in the retaliatory operations for

14659-577: The peace process, which was the short-term goal of the attacks anyway. In 1997 Ali Fallahian, the iranian Intelligence Minister, authorized a new Hamas bombing campaign to further disrupt the peace process, and Hamas leader Khaled Meshal , then living in Amman , Jordan, picked Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, an expert bomb-maker in the West Bank , to construct the bombs, and sent five suicide bombers to detonate them simultaneously in Jerusalem on 30 July 1997 ( Mahane Yehuda market bombings ) and 4 September 1997 ( Ben Yehuda street bombings) ), killing 21 Israelis. As

14796-478: The peace process," in the words of the deputy head of the Shin Bet, Yisrael Hasson . Curiously enough, though, after the election, the attacks stopped for almost a year. Some said this was because of Arafat 's campaign against Hamas, and the arrest of many members of its military wing. Others believed that Hamas no longer had any reason to carry out suicide attacks, because Netanyahu had already almost completely stopped

14933-403: The position of party chairman. In the first round of voting, which was held on 12 September 2011, MK Shelly Yacimovich managed to get first position, narrowly defeating runner-up Amir Peretz . In the third and fourth places were Isaac Herzog and Amram Mitzna . Since no candidate topped the 40% threshold required, a second round was held a week later on 21 September 2011, in which Yachimovich

15070-414: The position of the party's chairman. Naftali Bennett was elected as the chairman with 67.1% of the votes. Zevulun Orlev , who was second with 32.7% of the votes, declared that he would end his political career following his defeat. After Aryeh Deri announced his return to politics, and following a series of highly publicised events that led to an increase in the tensions between the Haredi public and

15207-480: The reality of our lives even though its actions are a secret. Although it is a small unit, it influences all branches of the military ... My service in the unit strengthened my understanding of the risks involved behind approving operations and the risks that fighters are taking on. It is tangible and not theoretical for me. Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sayeret Matkal ( Maariv 2007) After graduating from high school in 1967, Netanyahu returned to Israel to enlist in

15344-411: The remains of Itamar Ilyah as well as body parts of at least two other soldiers who died in the Ansariya ambush were exchanged for 65 Lebanese prisoners and the bodies of 40 Hizbullah fighters and Lebanese soldiers captured by Israel. Among those returned to Lebanon, were the remains of Hadi Nasrallah, the son of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah , who was killed in a clash with IDF a week after

15481-672: The rivalry between the two only intensified afterwards. During the Gulf War in early 1991, the English-fluent Netanyahu emerged as the principal spokesman for Israel in media interviews on CNN and other news outlets. During the Madrid Conference of 1991 Netanyahu was a member of the Israeli delegation headed by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir . After the Madrid Conference Netanyahu was appointed as Deputy Minister in

15618-656: The signing of the Hebron Protocol . The signing of the Hebron Protocol with the Palestinian Authority resulted in the redeployment of Israeli forces in Hebron and the turnover of civilian authority in much of the area to the control of the Palestinian Authority . Eventually, the lack of progress of the peace process led to new negotiations which produced the Wye River Memorandum in 1998 which detailed

15755-537: The start of 2011, Labor leader Ehud Barak began to face dissent from his party over its presence in the coalition. On 17 January 2011, disillusionment with Barak, over his support for coalition policies, especially regarding the peace process, led to his resignation from the Labor Party with four other Knesset members to establish a new "centrist, Zionist and democratic" party named Independence . Following this move, all Labor Party government ministers resigned. Splitting

15892-550: The steps to be taken by the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority to implement the earlier Interim Agreement of 1995. It was signed by Netanyahu and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat , and on 17 November 1998, Israel's 120 member parliament, the Knesset , approved the Wye River Memorandum by a vote of 75–19. In a nod to the 1967 Khartoum conference , Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized a policy of "three no(s)": no withdrawal from

16029-465: The strength to spearhead social and economic changes in the country", Netanyahu said. "In view of the challenges we're facing, we need responsibility on a national level ... We're providing a true alternative, and an opportunity for the citizens to stabilize leadership and government", Lieberman said. In November 2012, following Gaza militants rocket and mortar fire at Israeli towns and villages and attacks committed against Israeli soldiers stationed near

16166-506: The term of the Israeli 32nd government speculation arose concerning the possibility that Israeli journalist and television personality Lapid would end his career in journalism and begin a career in Israeli politics. Initially, Lapid dismissed these reports and speculations. Due to the ethical conflict between Lapid's functioning as a journalist and his political aspirations, Lapid informed Channel 2 's CEO that he would resign six months before entering politics. Lapid's commitment did not stop

16303-409: The term, which was also my goal, but it is no secret that with the start of the government's fourth year, the coalition is fraying somewhat. The achievements of this government are a result of a joint vision and a partnership that was possible due to political stability. We have not had such a stable government in decades. We are proposing 4 September, after which, God and voters willing, we will receive

16440-418: The upcoming election. The new party will be called Likud Beiteinu ("The Likud Is Our Home"), with Netanyahu number one on the list followed by Lieberman as number two. The results of the Likud primaries indicated the absence of prominent Likud members currently serving as ministers from the top positions in the new Likud list (namely, Benny Begin , Michael Eitan , Dan Meridor and Avi Dichter ), and on

16577-412: The upcoming election. The decision was considered surprising, with Likud officials speculating that Kahlon was passed over by Netanyahu for the post of Minister of Finance . On 25 October 2012, Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister and Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman announced the unification of their two parties which would run as a single bloc for

16714-448: The upcoming elections. "Hatnua" (התנועה) means "The Movement" in Hebrew. Immediately after the establishment of Hatnua party, seven Knesset members from the Kadima ( Meir Shitrit , Yoel Hasson , Shlomo Molla , Robert Tiviaev , Majalli Wahabi , Rachel Adato and Orit Zuaretz ) announced that they have left the Kadima party and joined Livni's party. On 1 December, it was announced that

16851-598: The vote, against far-right candidate Moshe Feiglin and World Likud chairman Danny Danon . He opposed the 2008 Israel–Hamas ceasefire , like others in the Knesset opposition. Specifically, Netanyahu said: "This is not a relaxation, it's an Israeli agreement to the rearming of Hamas ... What are we getting for this?" In the first half of 2008, doctors removed a small colon polyp that proved to be benign. 2013 Israeli legislative election Early legislative elections were held in Israel on 22 January 2013 to elect

16988-471: Was "responsible and punctual"; and that he was friendly, disciplined, cheerful, brave, active, and obedient. Between 1956 and 1958, and again from 1963 to 1967, his family lived in the United States in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania , a suburb of Philadelphia, while father Benzion Netanyahu taught at Dropsie College . Benjamin attended and graduated from Cheltenham High School and was active in

17125-597: Was a result of "B.C.G.'s intellectually rigorous boot camp". In 1978, Netanyahu appeared on Boston local television, under the name "Ben Nitai", where he argued: "The real core of the conflict is the unfortunate Arab refusal to accept the State of Israel   ... For 20 years the Arabs had both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip , and if self-determination, as they now say, is the core of the conflict, they could have easily established

17262-399: Was able to beat Peretz in a gap of about 10%. Yachimovich's victory, which placed the emphasis of the party on social values rather than issues of national security, brought a renewed interest in the party following the 2011 social protest and as a result, many polls predicted that the party might win nearly 20 seats, which would make the party become the second largest party after Likud on

17399-478: Was able to overcome several political and national security related crises with no real threat from the opposition. The stability of the coalition government increased after a split in the Labor Party when five of its members led by Ehud Barak left to establish the Independence Party . Whilst the Labor Party subsequently left the coalition, Independence remained within it, allowing the government to maintain

17536-483: Was accused of appointing an attorney general who would reduce the charges but prosecutors ruled that there was insufficient evidence to go to trial. In 1999, Netanyahu faced another scandal when the Israel Police recommended that he be tried for corruption for $ 100,000 in free services from a government contractor; Israel's attorney general did not prosecute, citing difficulties with evidence. The months leading up to

17673-494: Was appointed, and that the party's political campaign was suspended. Subsequently, Shalom Simhon became the chairman of the party, but on 6 December, he announced that he was retiring from politics and that Independence was pulling out of the elections. In the General Assembly of the United Nations held on 29 November 2012, the 67th session adopted a resolution that upgraded Palestine to non-member observer state status at

17810-761: Was born in 1949 in Tel Aviv . His mother, Tzila Segal (1912–2000), was born in Petah Tikva in the Ottoman Empire's Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem , and his father, Warsaw -born Benzion Netanyahu ( né Mileikowsky; 1910–2012), was a historian specializing in the Jewish Golden age of Spain . His paternal grandfather, Nathan Mileikowsky , was a rabbi and Zionist writer. When Netanyahu's father immigrated to Mandatory Palestine , he hebraized his surname from "Mileikowsky" to "Netanyahu", meaning "God has given." While his family

17947-508: Was canceled after hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters overwhelmed security and smashed through a glass window. Netanyahu was not present at the protest, having remained at his hotel throughout the duration. He later accused the activists of supporting terrorism and "mad zealotry". Weeks later on 1 October 2002 around 200 protesters met Netanyahu outside his Heinz Hall appearance in Pittsburgh although Pittsburgh Police , Israeli security and

18084-457: Was evident that he was attracting minimal support). Shamir retired from politics shortly after the Likud's defeat in the 1992 elections. Following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords , Rabin 's temporary successor Shimon Peres decided to call early elections in order to give the government a mandate to advance the peace process. Netanyahu

18221-596: Was killed. Yonatan was serving as the commander of Benjamin's former unit, the Sayeret Matkal, and died during the counter-terrorism hostage-rescue mission Operation Thunderbolt in which his unit rescued more than 100 mostly Israeli hostages hijacked by terrorists and flown to the Entebbe Airport in Uganda. Netanyahu was headhunted to be an economic consultant for the Boston Consulting Group in Boston, Massachusetts, working at

18358-503: Was one of the factors that led to the defeat of Prime Minister Shimon Peres and the Israeli Labor Party in the 1996 Israeli general election and the victory of the right-wing Likud party of Netanyahu, who opposed the Oslo peace process : The wave of terror in February and March 1996 was a case study in how suicide attacks could alter the course of history. At the beginning of February, Peres

18495-426: Was supposed to lead to elections for the prime minister position only. Netanyahu insisted that general elections should be held, claiming that otherwise it would be impossible to have a stable government. Netanyahu decided eventually not to run for the prime minister position, a move which facilitated the surprising rise to power of Ariel Sharon , who at the time was considered less popular than Netanyahu. In 2002, after

18632-474: Was the Likud's candidate for prime minister in the 1996 Israeli legislative election which took place on 29 May 1996 and were the first Israeli elections in which Israelis elected their prime minister directly. Netanyahu hired American Republican political operative Arthur Finkelstein to run his campaign, and although the American style of sound bites and sharp attacks elicited harsh criticism, Netanyahu won

18769-418: Was up twenty points in the polls over his opposition, the conservative hawk Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu. By the middle of March, Netanyahu had closed the gap significantly, and Peres led by only five percentage points. On May 29, Netanyahu won by 1 percent of the vote. This was all due to the terror attacks, which Peres simply couldn't stop. Yahya Ayyash's disciples had ensured the right wing's victory and "derailed

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