Benjamin Netanyahu
The elections may have gone Netanyahu’s way, but all is not looking hunky dory for the right-wing politician.
Here is everything you need to know about Benjamin Netanyahu, his fifth term in office and the charges that could make this one his shortest term.
Basic facts on Benjamin Netanyahu as the prime minister of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu is the leader of the right-wing Likud party in Israel.
He has held the prime ministerial post for four terms.
He became the prime minister for the first time in 1996 and stayed in the office till 1999.
He has been the sitting prime minister since 2009.
During his recent stay, he has been victorious in three elections in 2009, 2013 and 2015.
The present victory will make Netanyahu the longest serving Israeli prime minister of all time surpassing the founder of the nation, David Ben-Gurion.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s election 2019 campaign
During his election campaign, Netanyahu made it clear that he was rooting for the right-wing bloc to form the government at the Centre.
Netanyahu’s main opposition came from Benny Gantz who is a former Israeli military general-turned-politician. He is considered a Centrist and has had moderate views on most Israel border issues including the West Bank settlements.
Netanyahu said on Wednesday after the unofficial results were out that he does want a right wing government, however, he is the prime minister of all Israelis alike and would want to take everyone together moving forward.
Major Palestinian leaders expressed their concerns over the trends coming out of Israeli elections since Netanyahu has always believed in a hardline policy towards the Palestine issue and has univocally been against a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
With the votes being neck-and-neck, a coalition form of government is expected to take over -- with the next few weeks expected to be that of major political manoeuvring.
Charges against Benjamin Netanyahu
The sitting prime minister of Israel has in recent times faced a barrage of serious charges that could majorly hamper his political ambitions.
The possible charges against Netanyahu include bribery, fraud, breach of trust in connection with three separate cases.
From allegedly accepting gifts from wealthy businessmen to calling favours to get positive press coverage Netanyahu’s political campaign had to deal with a lot of unwanted scrutiny.
The prime minister, though, has said multiple times that all these are fake allegations been brought up to give a hit to his chances in these elections.
The attorney general of Israel has already shown interest in investigating these charges. And it remains to be seen when, and most importantly how, Netanyahu's fate is decided.
