Israel’s parliament on Sunday swore in Naftali Bennett as the country’s new Prime Minister.
Bennett signalled the end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year grip on the country.
While Israel welcomes its new prime minister, here are 10 things you ought to know about Bennett brought to you by the Editor Nigeria:
- Bennett was born in 1972 to American parents.
- He grew up in Haifa, and studied at the ‘Yavneh’ Yeshiva High School in Haifa.
- He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
- In 1999 Bennett co-founded the high-tech company Cyota, which specializes in online information security. The company employs some 400 workers, and in 2005 it was sold to an American company for $145 million.
- Bennett also served as the CEO of Soluto, which was sold for some $100 million.
- In the army, Major (res.) Bennett served in Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) and as a squad commander and company commander in the Maglan unit. Bennett performs his reserve duty in Sayeret Matkal.
- In 2005 Bennett was appointed the chief of staff of then-Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu. In this capacity, he helped formulate Netanyahu’s education reform plan.
- Bennett also ran Netanyahu’s campaign ahead of the primary elections for the leadership of Likud, which Netanyahu won.
- In 2009, Bennett was appointed director general of the Yesha Council and led the fight to cancel the construction freeze in Judea and Samaria and to reinforce the settlement enterprise.
- Bennett, along with Ayelet Shaked, founded the My Israel movement, which fought delegitimaization of Israel, post-Zionist organizations and boycotts of Israel. For its activity, the movement won the 2012 Media Criticism Award.
