Prime Minister the Longest In Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu first joined the Israeli army in 1967 at the age of 18. He returned to Israel from the United States to fulfill his military service obligations.  He went on to serve for five years in the elite special forces unit, Sayeret Matkal, where he achieved the rank of captain before being discharged.  Who raised such a son?  

Benzion and Tzila (Cela) Netanyahu were the parents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu. They had three sons:   Yonatan (who died leading the 1976 Entebbe rescue operation), Benjamin, the middle son,  and Iddo (a physician and playwright). Yonatan will always be on Bibi's mind.

             Yonatan born March 13, 1946 in New York City, US and died July 4, 1976 at age 30 in Entebbe, Uganda.  Last known photo of Yonatan, taken shortly before his death in  Operation Entebbe.  He was Bibi's big brother.   

1. Benzion Netanyahu (Father)

• Life: Born Benzion Mileikowsky in Warsaw, Poland (1910–2012) died at age 102, as his family moved to Mandatory Palestine in 1920. His father, a rabbi and Zionist activist, adopted the surname "Netanyahu" (meaning Given by God).  Profession: He was a highly influential historian and academic. He was a leading authority on the Spanish Inquisition and Jewish history in Spain, serving as a professor at Dropsie College, the University of Denver, and Cornell University. He was also the chief editor of the Hebrew Encyclopedia.  Politics: An ardent, hardline Revisionist Zionist, he served as a chief aide to Zeev Jabotinsky and lobbied extensively in the United States for the creation of a Jewish state. His unyielding geopolitical views deeply shaped Benjamin Netanyahu’s political ideology.  

2. Tzila (Cela) Netanyahu (Mother)

• Life: Born Tzila Segal in Petah Tikva, Ottoman Palestine (1912–2000). I'm connected too her Segal line.  She met Benzion while studying in Jerusalem, and they married in 1944.  Role: While less publicly political than her husband, she was a central figure in managing the family's households as they split decades of their lives between Israel and academic assignments in the United States. She passed away in Jerusalem in January 2000 at the age of 87.

Bibi, I hate to tell you this but hearing goes as you get older, especially on a phone or watching TV programming.  Now my logic is even sharper than ever, but not my eyesight, either, or the sense of touch and smell.  Maybe you need one of those fancy phones with script coming with speech.  Is your "red line phone" actually red?  You say it didn't ring?  Does it register incoming calls?  

Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) will be 77 years old on this Wednesday,  is an Israeli politician and diplomat who has served as prime minister of Israel since 2022. Having previously held office from (1996 to 1999)and from (31 March 2009 to 13 June 2021) a 4 year term , Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister.  Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister of Israel, having held office from 1996 to 1999, 2009 to 2021, and returning to power in December 2022.  He's been involved as PM for 3 different terms.  If he is elected again he will be older at 81 years.  I love Bibi, related to his mother's side of the family, but this is getting old, as I certainly know at my present age of 92.  Israel has been so lucky to have had him as PM for the many times he was needed.  

He can speak English better than most Americans.  He has the ability to reason, and is a top debater, especially in defending Israel.  

 Benjamin Netanyahu was last selected to form a government and sworn in as Prime Minister of Israel on December 29, 2022, following the November 2022 national elections.   Israel is holding its national elections on October 27, 2026. Netanyahu is currently serving out the end of his 2022 mandate as he campaigns for re-election in this vote. This will be the end of his 3rd term as PM.  

Benjamin Netanyahu served as a commando in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and fought on the front lines during the 1973 Yom Kippur War (also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War).  

Benjamin Netanyahu has served as Prime Minister of Israel during several major military conflicts and operations.

• Gaza Wars and Operations (First Term, Second/Third/Fourth Terms, and Current Term):
• Operation Cast Lead (2008–2009) [Note: Netanyahu took office in March 2009, shortly after it ended, or during related security phases]
• Operation Pillar of Defense (2012)
• Operation Protective Edge (2014)
• Operation Guardian of the Walls (2021)
• Israel–Hamas War (October 2023–present): Triggered by the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.
• Lebanon Conflicts:
• 2006 Lebanon War: Netanyahu was Leader of the Opposition at the time (he served as PM from 1996–1999 and 2009–2021).
• Lebanon / Hezbollah Operations & Wars (2023–2026): Multi-front conflict alongside the Gaza war, including direct strikes and fighting against Hezbollah.
• Direct Confrontations with Iran (2025–2026):
• Direct military exchanges and regional escalations involving Iran. 
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters have pointed to several events and policy decisions that they describe as averted calamities for Israel: 
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• The "Once-in-a-Century" Winter Storm (December 2013): Netanyahu claimed that government emergency management during a severe snowstorm that shut down roads to Jerusalem and cut power to thousands helped prevent a much worse humanitarian disaster, though his response also faced local criticism over coordination gaps.

Flydubai Cockpit Incident (September 2026): Netanyahu praised the crew and Israeli passengers (including an off-duty pilot and a civilian) who intervened after an Omani co-pilot attacked the Indian captain on a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai flight, which went into a steep dive before being stabilized and diverted to Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu stated that their quick actions prevented a "9/11-scale disaster."

(Note: While Netanyahu served as an IDF Sayeret Matkal captain and fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, that was as a soldier/officer, not as Prime Minister.)

 Netanyahu became the first Israeli prime minister elected directly by popular vote.  Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, has been threatened and divided this term so that he must have had to divide his precious time between the courts of Israel and the War.                                                   

Ronen Bar, the former chief of the Israel Security Agency Shin Bet [File: Yossi Zeigler/AFP]  The former head of Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet has sued Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for defamation over claims of his responsibility in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack.  In October 2026, former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar filed a NIS 3 million defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The 134-page legal filing details several pieces of evidence and official documentation regarding what intelligence was communicated before October 7, 2023: 

• Official Intelligence Shares & Call Logs: The lawsuit provides documented proof that the Shin Bet shared intelligence with Netanyahu’s office hours before the Hamas attack. Specifically, Bar’s filing shows records that he telephoned the Prime Minister’s military secretary as soon as warning signs emerged that night. (Note: Bar noted he did not call Netanyahu directly because Netanyahu had never provided him with his private personal phone number, a point Netanyahu publicly disputed by saying Bar had access to his secure "red line" phone). 
  

                                                                                  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's primary defense lawyer in his corruption trial is Amit Hadad. Amit Hadad, age 41: Lead defense attorney representing Netanyahu in the Jerusalem District Court corruption trial (covering Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000).Boaz Ben Tzur: Another key defense attorney who has worked on Netanyahu's legal team.  Amit Hadad is a prominent Israeli defense attorney and a founding partner of the law firm Hadad Roth Shenhar & Co..Born: September 8, 1985, in Ashkelon, Israel;  Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem;  Role: Founding partner and head of litigation at Hadad Roth Shenhar & Co., specializing in white-collar criminal defense, civil and commercial litigation, administrative law, and media crisis management.  

Netanyahu has been on trial before the Jerusalem District Court since May 2020 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Case 1000: Involves allegations of receiving luxury gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from wealthy businessmen (such as Arnon Milchan and James Packer) in exchange for favors.  Case 2000: Involves alleged illicit deals with Arnon Mozes, publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, to negotiate favorable coverage in exchange for legislation weakening a rival paper (Israel Hayom).  Case 4000: The most severe case, involving regulatory favors granted to Bezeq Telecom owner Shaul Elovitch in exchange for positive media coverage on the Walla! news site.  Current Status: Netanyahu finished his direct testimony and cross-examination in June 2026 after 98 hearings. A formal request for a presidential pardon was submitted in late 2025/early 2026, though under Israeli law, a pardon typically requires an admission of guilt, which Netanyahu has refused.  It was Donald Trump who tried to get him pardoned. He failed, not understanding the law involved in  not allowing any pardoning.

President Trump has endorsed Prime Minister Netanyahu ahead of next week's election:

"To the Great People of Israel:

Bibi Netanyahu has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran, with its 51 year old chant, “Death to Israel, Death to America! We will destroy the Little Satan and the Big Satan.” What Country can survive when things such as this are allowed to be said, because eventually, they always end up being true? It would have been only a question of time until Iran would have put that ominous phrase into effect, but they have been systematically destroyed, both Militarily and Financially, and unless they change their ways, rapidly, we will soon finish the job. If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so. Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself. Despite all of that, he has endured and, in fact, he has thrived! I have watched Bibi under the most trying of times. Normal men or women in such situations would have wilted under the pressure — But Bibi did not wilt, he actually got stronger, and maintains that same Strength today. This is the kind of Partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel, a Country for which it has done so much. Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel. BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN! Thank you for your attention to this matter."

Netanyahu responded with profuse praise and thanks.

Edit:  one line:  10/19/4:11pm