Benjamin Netanyahu was born on October 21, 1949, in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents. The father was born in the Polish capital, Warsaw, and the mother in the United States of America.
Benjamin Netanyahu is known within Israeli political circles as the longest-serving prime minister in the Jewish state.
He is also very hostile to the Palestinians, especially since he is a major supporter of establishing more Israeli settlements along the border with the besieged Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The birth and upbringing of Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu was born on October 21, 1949, in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents. The father was born in the Polish capital, Warsaw, and the mother in the United States of America.
Benjamin Netanyahu spent most of his childhood in the city of Jerusalem, before he left for America with his father, Ben-Zion Netanyahu (his real name is Netanyahu Milikowsky).
Study by Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu attended primary school in the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv, his birthplace, but his father’s work conditions made it necessary for him to move to the city of Jerusalem, where he completed his primary and middle school in one of its schools.
He then moved to the United States of America, in order to complete his high school studies, and he traveled with his father, who was working at the time conducting academic research at an American university.
Benjamin Netanyahu continued his university education, culminating in obtaining a bachelor’s degree (BSC) in architecture, and then a master’s degree (MSC) in the Department of Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), during the period extending between 1972 and 1976.
Benjamin Netanyahu also studied political science and international relations at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of America, during his stay in the United States of America.
Benjamin Netanyahu's positions
Benjamin Netanyahu worked throughout his life in many governmental and private institutions and organizations. In 1967, after his return to Israel, he worked as an officer in the reconnaissance unit (intelligence) of the Israeli General Staff, but he was exempted from military service after that in 1972.
In 1976, Benjamin Netanyahu also worked as an employee at Boston Consulting Group, a company that provides international consulting. In addition to holding the position of Director of the Yothan Research Institute on the subject of "Terrorism", during the years 1978-1980, he was then appointed to a senior management position within the "Reem Industries" Company in Jerusalem, in the year 1980.
In 1982, Benjamin Netanyahu was appointed Deputy Head of the Diplomatic Mission at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., before being promoted to the position of Israel’s Representative to the United Nations in 1984.
Benjamin Netanyahu strongly defended the Israeli narrative within the United Nations, and he also played a prominent role in pushing the United Nations to declassify the archives of “war crimes” committed by Nazi Germany during World War II.
During the period he lived in America, Benjamin Netanyahu organized a group of international and local conferences related to “combatting the phenomenon of terrorism,” and he wrote several books about that in which he discussed his perception of the issue of terrorism and ways to combat it, which were well received by the American administration, and even influenced In its foreign policy later.
After his return to Israel, after the end of his diplomatic duties in America, Benjamin Netanyahu was elected as a member of the Israeli Knesset (one-chamber parliament), representing the Likud Party (centre-right), and then as Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister in the same period.
During the Gulf War, Benjamin Netanyahu was the most prominent face and main representative of Israeli positions in the international press. He was also chosen to be one of the senior Israeli negotiators in the “Peace Conference,” which was held in the Spanish capital, Madrid, in 1991, between the Arabs and Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu was also a member of the First Committee for Strategic Cooperation between Israel and the United States of America, and he continued in this position until his election as leader of the Likud bloc in 1993, and he led the opposition until his election as Prime Minister of Israel in 1996.
As Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu adopted a strict policy in confronting Palestinian resistance operations, and supported what he called the “peace process” by concluding agreements with representatives of the Fatah movement.
After his term as Prime Minister ended in 1999, Benjamin Netanyahu worked as a business consultant for Israeli technology companies, and became one of the most sought-after speakers at technology seminars around the world.
Benjamin Netanyahu re-entered the political scene in 2002, first as Minister of Foreign Affairs, then as Minister of Finance in 2003. He pursued policies of shrinking the public sector while strengthening the private sector.
These policies revolved around reducing public spending, lowering tax rates, eliminating monopolies, reviving privatization processes, and introducing new pension reforms.
These measures, which were welcomed by the US administration, credit rating agencies and the International Monetary Fund, made it possible to halt the deterioration of the Israeli economy, reduce the unemployment rate, and restore growth.
Benjamin Netanyahu once again led the opposition in 2005, but this time he toned down his criticism of the government and even supported it during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. He also supported what he called “Operation Cast Lead” on the besieged Gaza Strip in 2008.
Benjamin Netanyahu returned to assume the position of Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, before his former colleague, millionaire and businessman Naftali Bennett, took it from him in 2021.
But Benjamin Netanyahu was able to win the legislative elections held during the year 2022, without obtaining a parliamentary majority, except by the alliance of his party (Likud) with the Shas party, the “There is a Future” party, of its leader Lapid.
Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinians
Benjamin Netanyahu is classified as one of the most extremist Israeli officials, as he was subjected to much criticism regionally and internationally during his terms as head of the Hebrew government.
In his second term as Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu launched two attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip. The first lasted eight days in 2012, and the second lasted about fifty days during 2014, during which more than two thousand Palestinian citizens were martyred in Gaza, the majority of whom were women and children.
Benjamin Netanyahu's period as prime minister was marked by an increase in Zionist incursions and violations of the sanctities of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially on Hebrew religious holidays and occasions.
Also during his reign, arrests and assassinations increased among the ranks of Palestinian resistance, and the rates of displacement of Palestinian landowners from their homes and lands increased, especial
The conditions of Gaza residents are getting worse and deteriorating dramatically. Quantities of basic food are running out and prices are witnessing dangerous increases.
Living conditions have worsened in the Gaza Strip, whether in the areas where the occupation army is penetrating into Gaza City and the north, or in the central and southern regions, where the occupation army has forced hundreds of thousands of residents to forcibly migrate, and the situation is expected to develop disastrously in the coming days. In light of the inadequacy of the amount of humanitarian aid arriving with the needs of the population.
Running out of food
At this time, many basic food items have run out of store shelves, such as rice, oils, flour, and many types of legumes, and these items are no longer available except with difficulty, as they are sold for many times their original price.
A 25-kilogram sack of flour, which was sold for 60 shekels, is now being sold in the central and southern regions of the Gaza Strip for 200 shekels (the US dollar is equal to 3.8 shekels in the local market).
Selling it at this high price does not mean that it is available, as the head of the family, before obtaining this quantity of flour, needs to make a great effort in the markets and areas where “shelter centers” are located, in order to obtain it.
In one of the large sales centers in the Nuseirat camp, which was filled with all kinds of food, the owners of this center put some of the available cleaning materials in place of legumes, canned food, and cheese.
One of the center’s supervisors told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that there are no longer any quantities of these materials available from the main merchants, pointing out that the warehouses owned by the center have been completely emptied of goods.
This employee, who is also responsible for purchasing operations from wholesale distribution merchants, points out that the quantities available in large warehouses in Gaza City, specifically the eastern areas of the city, no one has been able to access, since the beginning of the war, pointing out that the matter has gotten worse since the ground incursion, as No truck carrying goods from Gaza's warehouses was able to reach the central and southern regions.
He expected that they would soon close the entire mall, at a time when they closed a neighboring center that was very busy with customers before the war, after it was severely damaged by an Israeli raid and because it had no stock to sell.
Ahmed Abu Atta, displaced from Gaza City to the Nuseirat camp, said while shopping that he did not find any piece of cheese, while the shelf designated for rice and legumes was completely empty. He points out that in the first week of his displacement, about a month ago, the situation was different, as there were Cheese and many items that do not require much effort to prepare before eating, such as preserves and jam, are available in abundance, while the situation has completely changed at this time.
Abu Atta told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that small quantities of cheese, some legumes, and rice are available in some places near the “shelter center,” where residents are forced to sell some of what is distributed to them to buy other food items that are not available in those centers. Until their prices are witnessing significant increases due to small quantities and high demand.
Close to one of the gates of the “shelter centers,” Al-Quds Al-Arabi saw many men and boys who had set up “stalls” to sell these items, which they placed in front of them on a wooden stand in very small quantities. A young university man who had practiced this profession since the beginning of the crisis said: He buys some quantities from the displaced, and then sells them to whoever he wants from the rest of the population. He denies that he and his peers are the ones raising the price, and says, “We buy cheese, canned tuna, and some items from the displaced and sell them after setting a percentage of the profit.”
Selling at high prices
“Al-Quds Al-Arabi” inquired from Najwa Al-Sayyid, one of the women residing in the “shelter center,” about the reason that prompted her to do this. She pointed out that the food supplies being distributed do not meet all the family’s demands.
She explains that she and her family were forced to flee without having any money, especially since their economic situation was difficult before the war, as her husband only worked a few days a month.
She confirms that she is forced to sell some quantities of cheese or canned fish in order to buy some loaves of bread to satisfy her family. She says, “How can we eat canned food and cheese without bread?”
The “distribution centers” do not provide bread to the displaced, and if it was available, as this existed more than 10 days ago, it was provided in very small quantities, and displaced families reported that each family member was allocated one loaf of bread per day.
Although these families receive little food supplies, the matter is very difficult for families who have been displaced in the homes of relatives or friends, or in the basement of some houses, or in non-displaced families, as it is difficult for them to purchase these items.
An official in the UNRWA relief teams, who requested that his name not be revealed because he did not have a permit to do so, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the situation was very difficult in the “shelter centres.” “We were forced to not distribute any food aid for three days to the people.” Those who are there, because no new quantities have arrived.”
He pointed out that the matter is due to several reasons, the basis of which is due to the small quantities coming into the Gaza Strip, which are not sufficient for the needs of the large number of displaced people, and secondly, the difficulty of the small quantities of aid reaching the distribution areas, when it is taken out of the storage centers after it has already arrived there. The trucks carrying them pass the Rafah crossing, pointing out that the lack of available fuel prevents the process from being completed as required.
He talked about other problems facing the operation, namely the interception - which happened more than once - of trucks after being transported by poor citizens in Gaza, whose economic crises were exacerbated by the war.
He points out that his international organization is no longer responsible at this time for providing services to the refugee category, but rather is responsible for providing services to the entire population of Gaza, whether refugees or citizens, whose number exceeds 2.3 million people.
Dramatic deterioration
In this context, Adnan Abu Hasna, media advisor to UNRWA, said that the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip are deteriorating dramatically. He added, “Today is more dangerous than it was yesterday,” pointing out that there are tens of thousands of Palestinians queuing to obtain clean drinking water. While sewage water began to flood many streets.
He pointed out that the number of displaced people in the “shelter centers” run by “UNRWA” has reached more than 813 thousand citizens, demanding that these centers be safe and that all humanitarian aid can reach them. He also stressed the need to open all crossings of the Gaza Strip, especially the Karm Abu crossing. Salem, and the introduction of all basic materials, especially fuel.
Obtaining drinkable quantities is no longer an easy matter in the central and southern regions of the Gaza Strip, despite the occupation’s claims of allowing the passage of trucks carrying fuel for UNRWA, in order to operate desalination plants, and obtaining water supplies that are not intended for drinking is not an easy matter, as A schedule was set by the local authorities, based on delivering this water only twice a week, each time lasting for an hour or two at best.
Vegetable prices are also witnessing a crazy increase, as the price of a kilo of potatoes reached eight shekels, or more than two dollars, while their normal price at this time of the year was one shekel. The price of tomatoes also increased by four shekels, and the price of cucumbers rose to five shekels, which is double what it was. It was also previously mentioned.
The population suffers greatly in purchasing these items, due to their limited financial resources, and the state of extreme poverty experienced by the majority of families, whether displaced or affected by the effects of war.
Because of the war and the banks stopping work, as only some ATMs were operating irregularly, employees and those who owned money in banks were unable to obtain it, which also increased the amount of economic pressure on this group as well.
Dream of getting flour
It has become a dream for many residents to receive assistance that includes a sack of flour, given that it is the basic food item that everyone depends on.
According to the current plans of UNRWA, which has begun the process of distributing flour to the displaced in the “shelter centers,” the matter will expand in the coming days to include the displaced outside the centers, and then the rest of the population.
Although this situation exists in the displacement areas in the center and south of the Gaza Strip, the situation is more difficult in the areas of Gaza and the north.
Citizens who arrived in the last days from Gaza and the north confirm that the areas there are suffering from the depletion of all types of food, whether legumes, canned foods, or even flour, and that families there have arranged their lives according to the food supplies they have.
One of the newly displaced people said that they recently had to have every three people eat a small bag of quickly prepared pasta, after the bag was not enough for one person, pointing out that they were accustomed there to eating a meal per day that was in the middle of the day, at best. While on other nights, they spent the night without a single piece of bread coming out of their intestines.
Since it began escalating its military attacks against Gaza, after a week of war, the occupation army has prevented any food supplies from reaching the areas of Gaza and the north, and the siege has increased since the ground attack on the areas of Gaza and the north began.
The occupation army also continues to prevent the arrival of any aid trucks that pass through the Rafah crossing to those areas, which has worsened the humanitarian conditions there.
An international appeal
Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a statement issued by him that the United Nations and its partners, who have been in Gaza for decades, are committed to responding to the increasing humanitarian needs, guided, as always, by the principles of humanity, neutrality and independence.
At the same time, he called for facilitating the efforts of relief agencies to ensure the continuous and safe flow of aid convoys, opening additional crossing points for the entry of commercial trucks and aid, including the Kerem Shalom crossing, and allowing the United Nations, other humanitarian organizations, and the public and private sectors, to obtain fuel in sufficient quantities to provide aid and services. Basic requirements, enabling humanitarian organizations to deliver aid throughout Gaza without hindrance or interference, and allowing the expansion of the number of safe shelters for displaced persons in schools and other public facilities throughout Gaza and ensuring that they remain safe places throughout the period of hostilities.
He stressed the importance of improving the humanitarian notification mechanism to help spare civilians and civilian infrastructure exposure to hostilities, facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid, allow the establishment of relief distribution centers for civilians according to needs, as well as allow civilians to move to safer areas and voluntarily return to their homes, and finance the humanitarian response that is needed at the time. The current $1.2 billion, and the implementation of a humanitarian ceasefire to allow the resumption of basic services and commercial activities. This ceasefire is also vital to facilitate the delivery of aid, allow the release of hostages, and allow civilians to catch their breath, according to Griffiths.
The UN official stressed that these are the practical steps required to “rein in killing and destruction.” He described the plan as comprehensive and affirmed the determination to continue working to achieve each step. He also stressed the need for broad international support, calling on the world to take action before it is too late.