In his long political career that started in the early 1990s, Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu was written off several times. And every time, he made a stronger comeback. In 1996, he became Israel’s youngest Prime Minister, and the first to be born in the state of Israel. After losing the 1999 election heavily to Labour’s Ehud Barak, Mr. Netanyahu would go for a brief retirement, but would return to power in 2009. His hold over Israeli politics would be challenged again in 2019 after the fall of his government. In back-to-back elections, Mr. Netanyahu failed to form a stable coalition and three corruption cases cast shadows over his career. In 2021, his rivals from across Israel’s political spectrum joined hands to form a coalition with the main goal of keeping Bibi out of power.

But after 17 months in opposition, Mr. Netanyahu made another stunning comeback this week, with his right-religious coalition securing a comfortable majority in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. The era of Mr. Netanyahu, ‘King Bibi’ for his loyal supporters, is a present continuous one.

Netanyahu to run for re-elevction, his party says, after Trump raises doubts

Born in 1949 in Tel Aviv, a year after the state of Israel was formed, he grew up in Israel and the U.S. He enlisted in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in 1967, the year of the June War in which Israel captured East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan, Gaza Strip and Sinai from Egypt and Golan Heights from Syria — all in six days. Mr. Netanyahu would become a combat soldier and a team leader at an elite special forces unit of the IDF, Sayeret Matkal, “a unit that changed the reality of our lives,” as he later recalled. When Sayeret Matkal was deployed in 1976 to Entebbe, Uganda, to rescue hostages held at the city’s Airport, Mr. Netanyahu’s older brother Yonatan was the commander of the unit. Militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations had hijacked an Air France plane with 248 passengers and made it land in Uganda, which was then ruled by the dictator Idi Amin. The Sayeret Matkal’s mission was successful as most of the hostages were rescued, but Yonatan was killed in action — the IDF’s only fatality. The loss of his brother, according to Mr. Netanyahu, has shaped his views on “terrorism”, which he called a form of totalitarianism.

Arguably the most influential politician in Israel today, Mr. Netanyahu rose to power in 1996 when Israel was undergoing major changes. Three years earlier, Israel, led by Labour Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) had signed the Oslo Accord. The PLO recognised the state of Israel and the latter agreed to the formation of a provisional government (Palestinian Authority or PA) in the occupied territories. After the tumultuous period of the first Intifada (the Palestinian uprising) that began in 1987, there was a strong constituency in Israel for peace. But this period also saw the growing strength of the political Right and the threat of Jewish extremism. On November 4, 1995, Prime Minister Rabin the main architect of the Oslo Accords, was assassinated by a Jewish extremist. Rabin’s successor Shimon Peres called for early elections, which he thought would strengthen his hands to go ahead with the peace plan. But in the election, the first direct election to choose the Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, a hardline critic of the Oslo process, emerged victorious.

In power, Mr. Netanyahu made some minor concessions, but walked back on several promises his immediate predecessors had made. When the Palestinian Authority was formed, both sides agreed that it would be the first step of an ambitious peace plan. The real goal was to find a permanent solution to the Palestine question through the two-state proposal. But the PA, with limited powers in parts of the occupied lands, became a permanent mechanism as the Oslo process unravelled under Mr. Netanyahu’s leadership. His version was that the peace process made Palestinian militancy stronger. Hamas, the Islamist movement that had also opposed the Oslo Accords, had carried out several suicide attacks during this period. Mr. Netanyahu held the PA, then led by Yasser Arafat, responsible for increased violence. Dennis Ross, U.S. President Bill Clinton’s peace envoy, then said “neither President Clinton nor Secretary [of State Madeleine] Albright believed that Bibi had any real interest in pursuing peace.”

The Three Nos

Mr. Netanyahu has been consistently opposed to making any major concessions to the Palestinians. For him, “undivided Jerusalem” is Israel’s “eternal capital”. He is staunchly against the return of the Palestinian refugees (who were forced to flee their homes in 1948 when the state of Israel was formed) as part of any settlement. “Any demand for resettling Palestinian refugees within Israel undermines Israel’s continued existence as the state of the Jewish people,” he once said. He resolutely opposed Ariel Sharon’s decision to unilaterally pull back Israeli troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005. “The unilateral evacuation brought neither peace nor security,” said Mr. Netanyahu. He has also consistently supported Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories, which for him is the “natural growth” of the population.

In September 1967, a few months after the June war, Arab countries passed the ‘Three Nos’ resolution in the Khartoum summit — “No peace with Israel, No negotiations with Israel and No recognition of Israel”. In an indirect reference to the Khartoum resolution, Mr. Netanyahu, as Prime Minister, emphasised a policy of “Three Nos — “No withdrawal from the Golan Heights, No discussion of the status of Jerusalem and No negotiations under any preconditions.”

Arab countries have gone back on the Khartoum Nos. In 1994, a year after the first Oslo Accord was signed, Jordan reached a peace treaty with Israel. In 2020, four more Arab countries — the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan (where the Khartoum summit took place) and Morocco — normalised ties with Israel. But Mr. Netanyahu has not compromised on any of his Nos. On the other side, he tightened Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and enforced a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, which saw repeated, disproportionate Israeli bombardments in retaliation for rocket attacks by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

When Israel’s polity has clearly shifted rightwards, Mr. Netanyahu, by stitching together alliances with Jewish Orthodox and ultranationalist parties, has reaped political dividends. Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister is set to begin yet another term. This time, his key ally is Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of Religious Zionism, who wants to dismantle the Palestinian Authority and “deport” “disloyal” Arab citizens.

Foreign policy

Mr. Netanyahu is also known for his hawkish position towards Iran, Israel’s main rival in West Asia. He risked a complete breakdown in ties with the White House when he took his opposition to the Barack Obama-supported Iran nuclear deal to the U.S. Congress in 2015. Under his leadership, Israel also emerged as the key security player in West Asia, targeting Iran and in partnership with Arab countries, a relationship which is likely to thrive in a fast-changing region. He also chose to strengthen Israel’s ties with other major powers, including Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Narendra Modi’s India. As Prime Minister, he visited India twice, and hosted Mr. Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel.

But after spending 15 years in power and playing a critical role in shaping Israel’s domestic politics and foreign policy, Mr. Netanyahu hasn’t resolved any of his country’s security problems. Whatever he inherited — whether it’s Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran — are still plaguing the Jewish state. Israel continues to live in a volatile regional security environment. Domestically, the rise of the far-right, most of them Netanyahu allies, has challenged the social stability of the country, where Arab citizens make up some 20% of the population. But Mr. Netanyahu doesn’t seem to be perturbed. He thrives in crisis. His response to security challenges is to double down the military option and his response to the surge of the far-right is to embrace them — crisis at home, crisis abroad, Bibi remains the king. His legacy is perhaps defined by this permanence of crisis, unless he seeks to break the pattern in his new term.

Published – November 06, 2022 02:17 am IST

People hold Hezbollah flags while commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on May 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister posted a video on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground, sparking international condemnation.

The video, shared on X by firebrand Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, was published after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla’s vessels at sea and began detaining hundreds of foreign activists at the southern port of Ashdod.

The video drew swift international uproar, while Mr. Ben Gvir himself was criticised by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.

Captioned “Welcome to Israel”, the footage shows dozens of activists forced to kneel with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground. At some points, the Israeli national anthem can be heard playing in the background.

The footage also shows Mr. Ben Gvir heckling and waving an Israeli flag amongst the detained activists.

France said it had summoned the Israeli ambassador over the “unacceptable actions” of Mr. Ben Gvir, while Madrid condemned the “monstrous” treatment of activists and said Israel’s charge d’affaires had also been summoned in protest.

Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee, said she was “appalled and shocked” by the video and demanded the immediate release of the activists, among whom is the sister of President Catherine Connolly.

Italy and Greece also individually slammed the treatment of the activists and called for their citizens’ immediate release, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni demanding an apology from Israel.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Ben Gvir had “once again openly demonstrated to the world the violent and barbaric mentality of the Netanyahu government”.

‘Disgraceful display’

Mr. Ben Gvir also drew the ire of Mr. Netanyahu, who said the Minister’s conduct with the activists was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms”.

“I have instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs (activists) as soon as possible,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also slammed Ben Gvir on X, saying he had “knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display — and not for the first time”.

But Mr. Ben Gvir hit back at Saar, saying: “I am proud to be the Minister in charge of the organisations that operated today against those supporters of terror.”

“Yes, there will be all sorts of pictures that Gideon Saar does not like, but I think they are a great source of pride,” he added at Parliament.

Around 50 vessels under the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Türkiye last week in the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza after Israeli forces intercepted a previous convoy last month.

The Israeli authorities had said 430 activists aboard the flotilla were en route to Israel, while the Adalah rights group said some had already arrived at Ashdod port and were being held there.

Hamas, which controls less than half of Gaza and whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked the war in the Palestinian territory, said the footage was evidence of Israeli leaders’ “moral depravity and sadism”.

Adalah also criticised Israeli authorities over the video.

“Israel is employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists seeking to confront Israel’s ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people,” the group, whose lawyers went to the detention centre to meet the detainees, said in a statement.

‘Malicious scheme’

Israel’s Foreign Ministry had dismissed the flotilla as a publicity stunt serving Hamas.

Mr. Netanyahu had earlier denounced it as “a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza”.

Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

During the Gaza war, the territory suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.

A previous flotilla attempt was intercepted last month in international waters off Greece, with most activists expelled to Europe. Two were brought to Israel, detained for several days and then deported.

Published – May 20, 2026 11:00 pm IST

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

An Israeli far-right Minister stepped up pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to end negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire aimed at securing the release of hostages.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for an end to indirect talks with Hamas, which Israel has accused of executing six hostages whose bodies were found in a Gaza tunnel last week.

“A country whose six hostages are murdered in cold blood does not negotiate with the killers, but ends the talks, stops the transfer of fuel and electricity, and crushes them until they collapse,” Mr. Ben Gvir wrote on the social media platform X.

Mr. Ben Gvir, along with far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are key members of Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition government and have steadfastly opposed ceasefire talks, insisting that continuing the war in Gaza is the only way to destroy Hamas.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have been held for months through mediators the United States, Egypt and Qatar, but so far there has been no breakthrough.

The United States said on Tuesday it was time to “finalise” a deal to end the war that would help free the hostages in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Washington would work “over the coming days” with other mediators “to push for a final agreement”, said U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

“It is time to finalise that deal,” Mr. Miller said.

But Prime Minister Netanyahu has refused to offer any “concessions” in these negotiations, despite mounting domestic and international pressure following the recovery of the six dead hostages.

One key sticking point has been Netanyahu’s insistence that Israeli troops remain at the border between Gaza and Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor.

But Mr. Miller said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to withdraw forces from the border area.

“The bridging proposal that we put forward, that the government of Israel agreed to, it did include the removal of the IDF (Israeli military) from densely populated areas. That includes the Philadelphi Corridor,” Mr. Miller said, referring to Israeli forces.

“We are opposed to the long-term presence of IDF troops in Gaza,” he said.

Hamas has insisted that it wants a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza for any deal to take place.

During the October 7 attack on Israel, Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

The attack itself resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians including some hostages killed in captivity, according to official Israeli figures.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has so far killed at least 40,819 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Most of the dead are women and children, according to the U.N. rights office.

Jerusalem:

A far-right Israeli minister drew international condemnation Tuesday by praying with thousands of Jews at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem, defying a ban on Jewish prayer at the flashpoint site.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has often ignored the Israeli government’s longstanding ban, vowed to “defeat Hamas” in Gaza in a video he filmed during his visit.

The compound is Islam’s third holiest site and a symbol of Palestinian national identity, but it is also Judaism’s holiest place, revered as the site of the ancient temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

While Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit the mosque compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem during specified hours, they are not permitted to pray or display religious symbols.

The visit comes at a tense time during the 10-month Israel-Hamas war, with faltering efforts for a ceasefire and Israel braced for threatened attacks from Iran and its proxies.

Ben Gvir’s latest visit drew sharp condemnation from both Muslim countries as well as Western powers, including the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ben Gvir showed “blatant disregard” for the status quo at the site and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent such actions.

“These provocative actions only exacerbate tensions at a pivotal moment when all focus should be on the ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a (Gaza) ceasefire agreement and secure the release of all hostages and create the conditions for broader regional stability,” he said.

Days earlier the White House used strong language to call out another far-right member of Netanyahu’s cabinet, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who criticized President Joe Biden’s push for a Gaza ceasefire.

In recent years, the restrictions at the compound have been increasingly flouted by hardline religious nationalists like Ben Gvir, prompting sometimes violent reactions from Palestinians.

On Tuesday morning, he and some 2,250 other Israelis walked through the compound in groups, singing Jewish hymns, under the protection of Israeli police, an official from the Waqf, the Jordanian body that is custodian of the site, told AFP.

Israeli police also “imposed restrictions” on Muslim worshippers trying to enter the mosque, he said, adding that more than 700 Jews also prayed there in the afternoon.

“Minister Ben Gvir, instead of maintaining the status quo at the mosque, is supervising the Judaisation operation and trying to change the situation inside Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the official said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak on the matter.

– ‘Unduly provocative’ –
Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the “storming” of the mosque, calling it a “flagrant violation of international law”.

“The continual violations of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities require a clear and firm international position that condemns these violations,” ministry spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah said in a statement.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, an umbrella group of Muslim-majority states, “strongly condemned” the incident and said it was a “provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world”.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN was “against any efforts to change the status quo within the holy sites”. 

“This sort of behaviour is unhelpful and it is unduly provocative,” he added.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on X that the bloc “strongly condemns the provocations” by Ben Gvir.

France’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “This new provocation is unacceptable.”

Images posted on social media networks showed Ben Gvir inside the compound while several Israelis lay on the ground performing Talmudic rituals.

Ben Gvir released a video statement on X, which he filmed inside the compound himself, renewing his opposition to any truce in the war in Gaza.

“We must win this war. We must win and not go to the talks in Doha or Cairo,” he said, referring to the US-backed negotiations for a truce and hostage release deal for Gaza set to resume on Thursday.

“We can defeat Hamas… we must bring them down to their knees,” Ben Gvir said.

Tuesday’s entry into the Al-Aqsa compound comes on the Jewish mourning day of Tisha Be’Av that commemorates the destruction of the ancient temple. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visits Al-Aqsa compound on August 13, 2024, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of Israelis into the al-Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem on Tuesday and performed prayers marking a Jewish holiday, sources said.

Mr. Ben Gvir, who has often defied the Israeli government’s longstanding ban on Jewish prayer at the mosque compound, vowed to “defeat Hamas” in Gaza in a video he filmed during his visit.

The compound is Islam’s third holiest site and a symbol of Palestinian national identity but it is also Judaism’s holiest place, revered as the site of the ancient temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

While Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit the mosque compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem during specified hours, they are not permitted to pray or display religious symbols.

In recent years, the restrictions have been increasingly flouted by hardline religious nationalists like Mr. Ben Gvir, prompting sometimes violent reactions from Palestinians.

On Tuesday morning, Mr. Ben Gvir and some 2,250 other Israelis walked through the compound in groups, singing Jewish hymns, under the protection of Israeli police, an official from the Waqf, the Jordanian body that is the custodian of the site, told AFP.

“Minister Ben Gvir, instead of maintaining the status quo at the mosque is supervising the Judaisation operation and trying to change the situation inside Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the official said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak on the issue.

Israeli police also “imposed restrictions” on Muslim worshippers trying to enter the mosque, he said.

‘Flagrant violation’

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the “storming” of the mosque, calling it a “flagrant violation of international law”.

“The continual violations of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities require a clear and firm international position that condemns these violations,” ministry spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah said in a statement.

Images posted on social media networks showed Ben Gvir inside the compound while several Israelis lay on the ground performing Talmudic rituals.

Ben Gvir released a video statement on social media platform X, which he filmed inside the compound himself, renewing his opposition to any truce in the war in Gaza.

“We must win this war. We must win and not go to the talks in Doha or Cairo,” he said, referring to the US-backed negotiations for a truce and hostage release deal for Gaza to resume on Thursday.

“We can defeat Hamas… we must bring them down to their knees,” Ben Gvir said.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Ben Gvir’s visit “deviated from the status quo”.

“Israel’s policy on the Temple Mount has not changed; this is how it has been and this is how it will be,” a statement said.

Tuesday’s entry into the Al-Aqsa compound comes on the Jewish mourning day of Tisha Be’Av that commemorates the destruction of the ancient temple.

Last month too, Ben Gvir, who is known for provocative gestures, said he had prayed inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, defying the longstanding rules that permit Jewish visits but forbid prayer.