Benjamin Netanyahu was born in Tel-Aviv on October 21, 1949. He served as a soldier and officer in an elite commando unit in the Israel Defense Forces (1967-1972). A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a bachelors' degree in architecture and a masters in business administration, Mr. Netanyahu worked in consulting and management positions in industry in the United States and Israel. Since 1976 he has been a director of the Jonathan Institute, a foundation studying ways to combat terrorism.
Netanyahu served as Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations (1984-88) and Deputy Head of Mission to the United States (1982-1984). In 1984, he was a member of the first Israeli delegation to the US-Israel strategic talks.He served as Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister (1988-1991) and as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office (1991-1992). He was a member of Israel's delegation to the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991 and to the subsequent peace talks in Washington (1991-1992). He has been a Member of Knesset since 1988. In the 13th Knesset (1992-1996), he was a member of the Knesset Committees on Foreign Affairs and Security, and on Constitution, Law and Justice.
As Chairman of the Likud Party since 1993, Benjamin Netanyahu was elected Prime Minister of Israel in May 1996 in the first direct election of prime minister in Israel, serving in this position until July 1999. Following his defeat in the 1999 elections, he resigned from the chairmanship of the Likud and from the 15th Knesset.
Benjamin Netanyahu served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from November 2002 until February 2003, when he was appointed Minister of Finance, resigning in August 2005.
Netanyahu is married and the father of three.
He has edited several books, including: "Terrorism: How the West Can Win" (1986), and "International Terrorism: Challenge and Response" (1991). More recently, he has authored "A Place Among the Nations: Israel and the World" (1993), and "Fighting Terrorism: How Democracies Can Defeat Domestic and International Terrorism (1995).