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Benjamin Netanyahu Facts & Worksheets

Benjamin Netanyahu served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021

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Benjamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021 (15 years).

See the fact file below for more information on Benjamin Netanyahu or alternatively, you can download our 28-page Benjamin Netanyahu worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

  • Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu was born on October 21, 1949 in Tel Aviv, Israel to Benzion Netanyahu, a well-known Jewish historian and professor, and Tzila Segal, his mother.
  • Netanyahu was the middle child in a family of three. He was born and raised in Jerusalem, where he started attending Henrietta Szold Elementary School. 
  • According to a copy of his sixth-grade teacher Ruth Rubenstein’s evaluation, Netanyahu was courteous, polite, and helpful; his work was “responsible and punctual,” and he was friendly, disciplined, cheerful, brave, active, and obedient.
  • Netanyahu continued to live in the United States for his studies, but when he was 18, he returned to Israel to fulfill his military responsibilities in the Israel Defense Forces and decided to volunteer for an elite commando unit in 1967.
  • During his service, he took part in a number of daring operations, including Operation Gift, which liberated captives from an infiltrated Sabena Airlines plane in Beirut, Lebanon, during the War of Attrition. 
  • During this operation, Netanyahu was injured. Following the Yom Kippur War, he was discharged from the IDF after six years of service, having attained the rank of captain.
  • After fighting in the Yom Kippur War, Netanyahu returned to the United States in the late 1970s to study architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 
  • Under the name Ben Nitay, he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture in February 1975 and a master’s degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management in June 1976. 
  • Mr. Netanyahu worked in the private sector between 1976 and 1982, first with the Boston Consulting Group, an international trading consulting firm, and then as a member of the senior management team at Rim Industries in Jerusalem.

EARLY POLITICAL CAREER

  • Netanyahu joined Israel’s diplomatic mission in the United States in 1982, serving as Deputy Commander of Mission under Ambassador Moshe Arens for two years.
  • He was also a member of Israel’s first delegation to the talks on cooperative agreements with the US. Netanyahu was appointed Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations in 1984, a position he held for four years. 
  • As the U.N. ambassador, Netanyahu led the effort to open the United Nations. In 1987, the Nazi War Crimes Archives were established. 
  • Benjamin Netanyahu played an important role in efforts to improve Israel’s image and understanding of the country’s security needs among the American public and political elite as an articulate speaker, forceful debater, and media-oriented diplomat.
  • Following his return to Israel in 1988, Netanyahu entered the political arena, being elected to the Knesset on the Likud party list and appointed Deputy Foreign Minister. 
  • During the Gulf War, he was Israel’s primary spokesperson in the foreign press. He was a member of the Israeli delegation to the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991, as well as the first Strategic Cooperation conversations between Israel and the United States.

THE PRIME MINISTER

  • Netanyahu was elected chairman of the Likud Party in 1993 and served as leader of the opposition until the first open elections for the position of an Israeli Prime Minister in 1996.
  • Netanyahu defeated Shimon Peres and became the 13th as well as the youngest Prime Minister of Israel.
  • During his first term as Prime Minister, the number of terror attacks against Israel dropped drastically. 
  • Mr. Netanyahu also contributed to the advancement of the Palestinian peace negotiations by signing the Hebron and Wye Accords. 
  • Mr. Netanyahu eased foreign currency restrictions, hastened the privatization of state-owned businesses, and reduced the budget deficit. 
  • During his presidency, overseas investment reached a record high.
  • His first Prime Ministerial term ended in the 1999 elections when the Labor Party’s leader Ehud Barak won.
  • After leaving office as Prime Minister, Netanyahu worked as a business consultant to Israeli high-tech firms and was a widely known speaker on the worldwide lecture circuit. 
  • He returned to politics in 2002, first as Foreign Minister and then as Finance Minister until August 2005.
  • Mr. Netanyahu was re-elected Prime Minister in 2009. He formed a national unity government and forged an Israeli consensus on peace with the Palestinians by advocating for a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes Israel.
  • He continued to transform Israel’s economy by enacting land reform, investing heavily in the country’s roads and railways, and streamlining the country’s planning and zoning bureaucracy. 

LEGACY

  • Several corruption scandals allegedly involving Netanyahu and his close political allies were investigated during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fourth and fifth governments. 
  • Beginning in December 2016, the Israel Police started to investigate Netanyahu, and the police recommended federal charges against Netanyahu as a result of their investigation. 
  • Furthermore, on November 21, 2019, Netanyahu was officially charged with breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud. As a result of the prosecution, he is legally obliged to surrender all of his ministry portfolios except that of the Prime Minister. 
  • On May 24, 2020, Netanyahu’s trial in the Jerusalem District Court began and on April 5, 2021, witness testimony began.
  • Benjamin Netanyahu was the longest-serving Israeli prime minister in history, serving for a total of 15 years. He was also Israel’s first prime minister born after the country’s declaration of independence.
  • Several corruption scandals allegedly involving Netanyahu and his close political allies were investigated during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fourth and fifth governments. 
  • Beginning in December 2016, the Israel Police started to investigate Netanyahu, and the police recommended federal charges against Netanyahu as a result of their investigation.
  • Furthermore, on November 21, 2019, Netanyahu was officially charged with breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud. As a result of the prosecution, he is legally obliged to surrender all of his ministry portfolios except that of the Prime Minister. 
  • On May 24, 2020, Netanyahu’s trial in the Jerusalem District Court began and on April 5, 2021, witness testimony began.
  • Benjamin Netanyahu was the longest-serving Israeli prime minister in history, serving for a total of 15 years. He was also Israel’s first prime minister born after the country’s declaration of independence.

“I don’t want to govern the Palestinians. I don’t want them as subjects of Israel or as citizens of Israel. I want them to have their own independent state but a demilitarized state.”

Benjamin Netanyahu’s political and territorial stand on the conflict with the Palestinians
  • Despite the numerous cases that have been brought against Netanyahu, it is said that he has made significant contributions to Israel.
  • He implemented far-reaching educational reforms in Israel, from higher education to free education for children as young as three.
  • For a long time, Israel saw itself as isolated and singled out by the rest of the world for its policies toward Palestinians. 
  • However, under his leadership, Israel significantly expanded its relations with China, India, and Africa. 
  • Israel used its expertise in water technology, intelligence, and cybersecurity to strike deals with other countries, including a historic diplomatic agreement with the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf Arab states.
  • Netanyahu was successful in changing Israel into a more free-market economy. 
  • Under his leadership, Israel has largely avoided the global recession in recent years. Following the pandemic, Israel was one of the first economies to open up. 
  • Netanyahu was also highly acknowledged in Israel for obtaining Pfizer vaccines early and vaccinating the country faster than any other country.

Benjamin Netanyahu Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Benjamin Netanyahu across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Benjamin Netanyahu who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Benjamin Netanyahu Facts
  • Israel
  • Prime Minister Profile
  • Bibi’s Career
  • The Prime Minister’s Choice
  • Think Like a PM
  • Mind of a Leader
  • Length of Service
  • Leader Qualities
  • End of Reign
  • Road to Leadership

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Benjamin Netanyahu’s political career start?

Netanyahu served as Deputy Commander of Mission under Ambassador Moshe on diplomatic missions to the United States for two years starting in 1982. In 1984 he was appointed Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, he held this position for 4 years before moving on to lead various efforts to improve Israel’s image and international cooperation.

What was Benjamin Netanyahu famous for?

During his term, overseas investment reached a record high. He reduced the budget deficit by hastening the privatization of state-owned businesses. Netanyahu also contributed to the advancement of the Palestinian peace negotiations by signing the Hebron and Wye accords. Israel saw the number of terror attacks drop during his first term of office.

How long was Benjamin Netanyahu in office?

Benjamin Netanyahu was the longest-serving Israeli prime minister in history, serving for a total of 15 years. He was also Israel’s first prime minister born after the country’s declaration of independence.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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