Editing Benjamin Netanyahu (section)

== Early life and military career ==
[[File:Netanyahu's military service I.jpg|thumb|upright|left|1967 photograph of Netanyahu by the Israel Defense Forces]]
Netanyahu was born in 1949 in [[Tel Aviv]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/pages/benjamin%20netanyahu.aspx|title=Benjamin Netanyahu|access-date=16 June 2021|publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606071740/https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/pages/benjamin%20netanyahu.aspx|archive-date=6 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=13 June 2021|title=Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's unseated long-term leader|language=en-GB|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-18008697|access-date=16 June 2021|archive-date=1 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101050612/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-18008697|url-status=live}}</ref> His mother, Tzila Segal (1912–2000), was born in [[Petah Tikva]] in the Ottoman Empire's [[Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem]], and his father, [[Warsaw]]-born [[Benzion Netanyahu]] ([[né]] Mileikowsky; 1910–2012), was a historian specializing in the [[Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain|Jewish Golden age of Spain]]. His paternal grandfather, [[Nathan Mileikowsky]], was a [[rabbi]] and [[Zionism|Zionist]] writer. When Netanyahu's father immigrated to [[Mandatory Palestine]], he [[Hebraization of surnames|hebraized his surname]] from "Mileikowsky" to "Netanyahu", meaning "God has given." While his family is predominantly [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]], he has said that a DNA test revealed him to have some [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] ancestry. He claims descent from the [[Vilna Gaon]].<ref>Itamar Eichner (25 May 2016) [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4807687,00.html "Netanyahu: I have Sephardic roots as well"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703034522/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4807687,00.html |date=3 July 2016 }}, [[Ynetnews]]</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Winer|first=Stuart|title=Netanyahu reveals his roots go back to Spain|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-reveals-roots-go-back-to-spain/|access-date=16 August 2020|work=The Times of Israel|language=en-US|archive-date=1 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101050330/https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-reveals-roots-go-back-to-spain/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Netanyahu was the second of three children. He was initially raised and educated in [[Jerusalem]], where he attended Henrietta Szold Elementary School. A copy of his evaluation from his 6th grade teacher Ruth Rubenstein indicated that Netanyahu was courteous, polite, and helpful; that he was "responsible and punctual"; and that he was friendly, disciplined, cheerful, brave, active, and obedient.<ref name="JPost responsible">{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=282840 |title=PM was 'responsible' sixth-grader, evaluation shows |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=28 August 2012 |author=Lidman, Melanie |access-date=30 August 2012 |archive-date=30 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830053213/http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=282840 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Between 1956 and 1958, and again from 1963 to 1967,<ref name="ynetnews.com">{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4187902,00.html |title=Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu |date=10 February 2012 |publisher=Ynetnews |access-date=9 March 2013 |archive-date=7 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307205856/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4187902,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> his family lived in the United States in [[Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania]], a suburb of Philadelphia, while father Benzion Netanyahu taught at [[Dropsie College]].<ref name=Moyer>{{cite news|last1=Moyer |first1=Justin |date=3 March 2015 |title=Why Benjamin Netanyahu is so tough: He's from Philadelphia |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/03/why-benjamin-netanyahu-is-so-tough-hes-from-philadelphia/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402200554/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/03/why-benjamin-netanyahu-is-so-tough-hes-from-philadelphia/ |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=5 March 2015}}</ref>
Benjamin attended and graduated from [[Cheltenham High School]] and was active in the [[debate|debate club]], [[chess club]], and [[high school soccer|soccer]].<ref name=Moyer /> He and his brother Yonatan grew dissatisfied with what they saw as the superficial way of life they encountered in the area, including the prevalent youth [[counterculture]] movement and the liberal sensibilities of the [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] synagogue, [[Temple Judea of Philadelphia]], that the family attended.<ref name=Moyer />

After graduating from high school in 1967, Netanyahu returned to Israel to enlist in the [[Israel Defense Forces]]. He trained as a combat soldier and served for five years in a special forces unit of the IDF, [[Sayeret Matkal]]. He took part in numerous cross-border raids during the 1967–70 [[War of Attrition]], including the March 1968 [[Battle of Karameh]], when the IDF attacked [[Jordan]] to capture [[PLO]] leader [[Yasser Arafat]] but were repulsed with heavy casualties,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2018-04-27/ty-article-opinion/.premium/how-netanyahu-went-from-creature-to-master-of-jewish-nationalism/0000017f-dedb-d3ff-a7ff-fffb09560000 | title=Right-wing Jewish Nationalism Created Netanyahu. Then Netanyahu Became Its Master | newspaper=Haaretz | access-date=29 November 2023 | archive-date=20 January 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120164156/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2018-04-27/ty-article-opinion/.premium/how-netanyahu-went-from-creature-to-master-of-jewish-nationalism/0000017f-dedb-d3ff-a7ff-fffb09560000 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newarab.com/features/netanyahus-my-story-eyes-staunch-ideologue | title=Netanyahu's 'My Story': In the eyes of a staunch ideologue | date=30 November 2022 | access-date=29 November 2023 | archive-date=12 January 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112172121/https://www.newarab.com/features/netanyahus-my-story-eyes-staunch-ideologue | url-status=live }}</ref> rising to become a team-leader in the unit. He was wounded in combat on multiple occasions.<ref name="ginsburg1">{{cite news|first=Mitch|last=Ginsburg|date=25 October 2012|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/saving-sergeant-netanyahu/#!|title=Saving Sergeant Netanyahu|newspaper=The Times of Israel|access-date=31 October 2014|archive-date=5 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405164526/https://www.timesofisrael.com/saving-sergeant-netanyahu/#!|url-status=live}}</ref> He was involved in many other missions, including the [[1968 Israeli raid on Lebanon]] and the rescue of the hijacked [[Sabena Flight 571]] in May 1972, in which he was shot in the shoulder.<ref>{{cite news |title=More than six decades on, Israel memorializes late commander of British Army's Jewish Unit |first=Yossi |last=Melman |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/more-than-six-decades-on-israel-memorializes-late-commander-of-british-army-s-jewish-unit-1.325308 |newspaper=Haaretz |date=18 November 2010 |access-date=17 March 2013 |archive-date=30 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230172518/https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/more-than-six-decades-on-israel-memorializes-late-commander-of-british-army-s-jewish-unit-1.325308 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu: Commando turned PM |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-18008697 |publisher=BBC News |date=14 May 2020 |access-date=24 July 2020 |archive-date=1 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101050612/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-18008697 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was discharged from active service in 1972 but remained in the Sayeret Matkal reserves. Following his discharge, he left to study in the United States but returned in October 1973 to serve in the [[Yom Kippur War]].<ref name="Sayeret Matkal is 50 years old">{{cite web|first=Amir|last=Buhbut|url=http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/560/122.html|title=Sayeret Matkal is 50 years old|website=[[NRG Maariv]]|access-date=8 November 2011|archive-date=14 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014060839/http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/560/122.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="ball">{{cite news |title=Professor recalls Netanyahu's intense studies in three fields |first=Charles H. |last=Ball |url=http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1996/netanyahu-0605.html |publisher=MIT Tech Talk |date=5 June 1996 |access-date=17 March 2013 |archive-date=27 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327110719/http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1996/netanyahu-0605.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He took part in special forces raids along the [[Suez Canal]] against Egyptian forces before leading a commando attack deep inside Syrian territory, the details of which remain classified today.<ref>{{cite news |date=13 September 2013 |url=https://news.walla.co.il/item/2677526 |script-title=he:40 שנה לאחור: היכן היו אז, המנהיגים של היום? |language=he |trans-title=40 years ago: where were the leaders of today? |publisher=[[Walla!]] |access-date=26 October 2017 |archive-date=22 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522202958/https://news.walla.co.il/item/2677526 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Education ===
Netanyahu returned to the United States in late 1972 to study architecture at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT). After briefly returning to Israel to fight in the Yom Kippur War, he returned to the United States and, under the name '''Ben Nitay''', completed a [[Bachelor of Science|bachelor's degree]]<ref name=MITDegrees>{{cite web |url=http://web.mit.edu/registrar/stats/degrees/index.html |title=Enrollment Statistics |publisher=MIT Office of the Registrar |access-date=17 October 2012 |archive-date=8 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108145723/http://web.mit.edu/registrar/stats/degrees/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> in architecture<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/specials/mit150/mitlist/?page=full|title=The MIT 150: 150 Ideas, Inventions, and Innovators that Helped Shape Our World|work=The Boston Globe|date=15 May 2011|access-date=8 August 2011|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045200/http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/specials/mit150/mitlist/?page=full|url-status=live}}</ref> in February 1975 and earned a [[master's degree]]<ref name=MITDegrees /> from the [[MIT Sloan School of Management]] in 1976.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 February 2019 |title=Who Is Benjamin Netanyahu? |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/benjamin-netanyahu/who-is-benjamin-netanyahu-580010 |access-date=26 November 2024 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=5 June 1996 |title=Professor recalls Netanyahu&#039;s intense studies in three fields |url=https://news.mit.edu/1996/netanyahu-0605 |access-date=26 November 2024 |website=MIT News {{!}} Massachusetts Institute of Technology |language=en}}</ref> Concurrently, he was studying towards a doctorate<ref name="ball" /> in political science,<ref>Cathy Hartley, David Lea, Paul Cossali, Annamarie Rowe, ''Survey of Arab-Israeli Relations'' (Taylor & Francis, 2004), p. 522</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2393677.stm |title=Profile: Benjamin Netanyahu |date=20 February 2009 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=9 March 2013 |archive-date=13 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513005346/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2393677.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> until his studies were broken off by the death of his brother in the [[Entebbe raid]].<ref name="ball" />

At MIT, Netanyahu studied a double-load while simultaneously taking courses at [[Harvard University]], completing his bachelor's degree in architecture in two and a half years, despite taking a break to fight in the Yom Kippur War. Professor Leon B. Groisser at MIT recalled: "He did superbly. He was very bright. Organized. Strong. Powerful. He knew what he wanted to do and how to get it done."<ref name="ball"/>

At that time he changed his name to '''Benjamin''' "'''Ben'''" '''Nitai''' (Nitai, a reference to both [[Mount Nitai]] and to the eponymous Jewish sage [[Nittai of Arbela]], was a pen name often used by his father for articles).<ref name=Gresh>{{cite book |last1=Gresh |first1=Alain |last2=Vidal |first2=Dominique |title=The New A–Z of the Middle East |edition=2nd |year=2004 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-1-86064-326-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newazofmiddleeas0000gres/page/217 217] |url=https://archive.org/details/newazofmiddleeas0000gres/page/217 }}</ref> Years later, in an interview with the media, Netanyahu clarified that he decided to do so to make it easier for Americans to pronounce his name. This fact has been used by his political rivals to accuse him indirectly of a lack of Israeli national identity and loyalty.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ariel |first=Mira |title=Pragmatics and Grammar |series=Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics |year=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-55018-5}}</ref>

In 1976, Netanyahu's older brother [[Yonatan Netanyahu]] was killed. Yonatan was serving as the commander of Benjamin's former unit, the Sayeret Matkal, and died during the [[counter-terrorism]] hostage-rescue mission Operation Thunderbolt in which his unit rescued more than 100 mostly Israeli hostages hijacked by terrorists and flown to the [[Entebbe International Airport|Entebbe Airport]] in Uganda.