What is Benjamin Netanyahu's Net Worth?
Benjamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician who has a net worth of $13 million. Benjamin Netanyahu has served as the country's prime minister three times, first from 1996 to 1999 and later from 2009 to 2021. And then incredibly he was re-elected again in November 2022. In between his first two tenures, he worked in the private sector before becoming Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Finance under Ariel Sharon. A highly controversial figure both at home and abroad, Netanyahu was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in 2019.
Early Life and Education
Benjamin Netanyahu was born on October 21, 1949 in Tel Aviv, Israel as the second of three children of secular Jewish parents Tzila and Benzion. He spent his early years growing up in Jerusalem, where he went to Henrietta Szold Elementary School. Netanyahu subsequently moved with his family to the United States, settling in Cheltenham Township in Pennsylvania. He attended Cheltenham High School, where he was involved in chess, debate, and soccer. Following his graduation, Netanyahu returned to Israel to join the Israel Defense Forces. Training as a combat soldier, he served for five years in the elite special forces unit Sayeret Matkal, and saw action in a range of missions. After being discharged in 1972, Netanyahu returned to the United States to attend MIT. He briefly went back to Israel to fight in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and then returned to MIT to finish his degree in architecture. Netanyahu went on to earn a master's degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Although he was working toward a doctorate, he suspended his studies following the death of his brother Yonatan in Operation Entebbe.
Career Beginnings
After graduating from MIT in 1976, Netanyahu served as an economic consultant at the Boston Consulting Group for two years. He then returned to Israel, where he founded the Yonatan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute in honor of his late brother. From 1980 to 1982, Netanyahu served as director of marketing at Rim Industries in Jerusalem. During this time, he established connections with a number of Israeli politicians, leading to his tenure as Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988.
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Leader of the Opposition, 1993-1996
In the late 80s, Netanyahu returned to Israel and joined the Likud party. When it came time for the 1992 Israeli legislative elections, the Likud party was defeated; the party subsequently held a primary election to select its new leader, which ended up being Netanyahu. As Leader of the Opposition, he went on to run for prime minister in the 1996 legislative election. Netanyahu ultimately won the election over the incumbent Shimon Peres, in the process becoming the youngest-ever prime minister of Israel.
Prime Minister, 1996-1999
During his first tenure as prime minister, Netanyahu attempted negotiations with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and inflamed Israel's relations with Jordan when he ordered the assassination of Hamas leader Khaled Mashal. He also began a process of economic liberalization to move Israel toward a free-market economy. Netanyahu attracted strong opposition from the political left during his tenure, and was mired in a number of major scandals involving corruption charges. In the 1999 election, he and the Likud party were defeated by Ehud Barak and his One Israel party.
Private Sector Career
Following his election defeat in 1999, Netanyahu temporarily retired from politics and entered the private sector. For two years, he worked as a senior consultant for the Israeli communications equipment manufacturer BATM Advanced Communications.
Return to Government
In late 2000, Barak's government fell apart, and Ariel Sharon became the new Israeli prime minister. Encouraged to return to politics, Netanyahu was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and then as Minister of Finance. He served in the latter position from 2003 to 2005, during which time he initiated substantial economic reforms that were credited with creating economic growth and record-high foreign investment. However, Netanyahu eventually clashed with Sharon, particularly regarding the Gaza disengagement plan. As a result, he resigned as Minister of Finance in August of 2005.
Prime Minister, 2009-2021
After Sharon stepped down to form his new party, Kadima, Netanyahu once again became Leader of the Opposition of Likud, serving in that role from 2006 to 2009. While the party finished second to Kadima in the 2009 election, Netanyahu managed to put together a coalition government to secure his second premiership. He went on to lead Likud to victory in the 2013 and 2015 elections, as well. In 2020, due to sustained political deadlock between Benny Gantz's Blue and White alliance and Netanyahu's Likud, the parties reached a coalition agreement entailing a rotating premiership between Gantz and Netanyahu. However, the coalition collapsed in late 2020 and a new election was held in 2021. In June of that year, Netanyahu was removed as prime minister after Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid formed a government. He subsequently became Leader of the Opposition for the third time.
Criminal Investigations and Indictment
Starting in 2017, Netanyahu became the subject of criminal investigations into charges of corruption. His alleged crimes included bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. In November of 2019, Netanyahu was formally indicted, making him the first sitting Israeli prime minister to be charged with a crime. If convicted, he could face up to 13 years total in prison.
Personal Life
In 1972, Netanyahu married his first wife, Miriam Weizmann. The couple had a daughter named Noa in 1978. That year, Netanyahu began an affair with a university student named Fleur Cates, resulting in the dissolution of his marriage to Weizmann. Netanyahu went on to marry Cates in 1981; they eventually divorced in 1984. He wed his third wife, flight attendant Sara Ben-Artzi, in 1991. Together, they have two sons named Yair and Avner. During the early years of the marriage, Netanyahu had an affair with his PR adviser Ruth Bar.
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