5 Things You Should Know About Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu – Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
A blog post titled “5 Things You Should Know About Bibi Netanyahu” talks about the Israeli prime minister’s combat experience, career and political accomplishments.
The Truth:
Claims made in the “5 Things You Should Know About Bibi Netanyahu” are true.
The Independent Journal Review published the story about Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s background in the final weeks of his re-election campaign in March of 2015. The blog was viewed more than 500,000 times and was shared on Facebook nearly 100,000 times.
Poll numbers indicated that Benjamin Netanyahu could be voted out of office at the time the blog was published, but he was eventually re-elected prime minister.
We’ll take a look at each of the blog post’s five claims about Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu Is a War Hero-Truth!
This one is true.
Benjamin Netanyahu volunteered with an elite Special Forces unit of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called Sayeret Matkal. He took part in cross-border raids and missions like Operation Inferno and the rescue of hostages from a hijacked airplane in 1972, the Haaretz Newspaper reports.
Netanyahu rose to the rank of captain before he was discharged after six years of service, according to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Netanyahu Was Wounded in Combat-Truth!
Benjamin Netanyahu was wounded in combat twice, so this claim is true.
Netanyahu was first wounded in 1969 during the War of Attrition. Netanyahu’s unit was deployed to the Suez Canal to fight Egyptian commandos, and he was hit in the shoulder by shrapnel from a rocket propel grenade, the Times of Israel reports.
Netanyahu was also wounded in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War in Israel.
Netanyahu’s Brother Was Killed in Combat-Truth!
It’s true that Jonathan Netanyahu, Benjamin’s brother, was killed during the Entebbe raid that freed 100 hostages from a French jetliner in 1976.
After his brother’s death, Benjamin Netanyahu founded the Jonathan Institute to fight terrorism by organizing conferences and influencing other world leaders.
Netanyahu Studied at MIT and Harvard-Truth!
It’s true that Benjamin Netanyahu studied at MIT and Harvard.
He earned degrees in management studies and architecture from MIT. He also studied political science at MIT and Harvard, according to his official bio.
Netanyahu Is One of the Most Successful Politicians in Israeli History-Reported as Truth!
With his 2015 re-election, Netanyahu became Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.
An argument can be made that he’s one of the country’s most successful politicians ever, but Netanyahu’s critics would argue otherwise. This one is a matter of personal opinion.