Binyamin Netanyahu
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Binyamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician who has served as the country’s prime minister three times — from 1996-99, from 2009-21, and since 2022. Born in Tel Aviv on October 21, 1949, Netanyahu rose to prominence in 1993 when he became the leader of the right-wing Likud party. He is known for his hardline stance on security, particularly regarding Iran and Palestinian relations, and after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people, he ordered a large-scale military operation in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people have since died in the war in Gaza, and in November 2024 the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, his defence minister from 2022-24, over alleged war crimes.