Backgrounder: New Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Source: Xinhua | 04-01-2009 09:45

JERUSALEM, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Likud party chief Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in on Tuesday night as the new prime minister of the Jewish state.

Following are some key facts about Netanayhu:

Popularly known by his childhood nickname, Bibi, Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv in 1949, and grew up in Jerusalem. His father, Benzion, was a renowned Jewish historian. In the early 1960s, his family moved to the United State, where Netanyahu received high school education.

In 1967, Netanyahu joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and attained the rank of captain before he retired from the army in 1973. Later in the decade, he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree in business management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and also studied political science.

In 1980s, Netanyahu became an active figure in Israel's political arena. He served as ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988. In 1988, he was elected to the parliament and appointed deputy foreign minister in the government.

In 1993, Netanyahu won a Likud primary and became chairman of the right-wing party. Three years later, he was elected prime minister. He had served at the post for three years, before his government collapsed and he lost the prime ministerial election in1999.