Editing Benjamin Netanyahu (section)

== Leader of the Opposition (1993–1996) ==
Prior to the [[1988 Israeli legislative election]], Netanyahu returned to Israel and joined the [[Likud]] party. In the Likud's internal elections, Netanyahu was placed fifth on the party list. Later on he was elected as a Knesset member of the 12th Knesset, and was appointed as a deputy of the foreign minister [[Moshe Arens]], and later on [[David Levy (Israeli politician)|David Levy]]. Netanyahu and Levy did not cooperate and the rivalry between the two only intensified afterwards. During the [[Gulf War]] in early 1991, the English-fluent Netanyahu emerged as the principal spokesman for Israel in media interviews on [[CNN]] and other news outlets. During the [[Madrid Conference of 1991]] Netanyahu was a member of the Israeli delegation headed by Prime Minister [[Yitzhak Shamir]]. After the Madrid Conference Netanyahu was appointed as Deputy Minister in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.<ref name="netanyahu" />

Following the defeat of the Likud party in the [[1992 Israeli legislative election]]s the Likud party [[1993 Likud leadership election|held a party leadership election in 1993]], and Netanyahu was victorious, defeating [[Benny Begin]], son of the late prime minister [[Menachem Begin]], and veteran politician [[David Levy (Israeli politician)|David Levy]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Netanyahu wins battle for leadership of Likud |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/netanyahu-wins-battle-for-leadership-of-likud-1499916.html |work=The Independent |location=London |date=26 March 1993 |access-date=11 August 2009 |archive-date=26 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126120627/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/netanyahu-wins-battle-for-leadership-of-likud-1499916.html |url-status=live }}</ref> (Sharon initially sought Likud party leadership as well, but quickly withdrew when it was evident that he was attracting minimal support). Shamir retired from politics shortly after the Likud's defeat in the 1992 elections.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yitzhak Shamir, Former Israeli Prime Minister, Dies at 96 |first=Joel |last=Brinkley |author-link=Joel Brinkley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/world/middleeast/yitzhak-shamir-former-prime-minister-of-israel-dies-at-96.html?pagewanted=all |newspaper=The New York Times |date=30 June 2012 |access-date=17 March 2013 |archive-date=2 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402165555/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/world/middleeast/yitzhak-shamir-former-prime-minister-of-israel-dies-at-96.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the [[assassination of Yitzhak Rabin]] at the end of a rally in support of the [[Oslo Accords]], [[Yitzhak Rabin|Rabin]]'s temporary successor [[Shimon Peres]] decided to call early elections in order to give the government a mandate to advance the peace process.<ref>{{cite news |title=Israeli elections will test support for peace |first=Jerrold |last=Kessel |url=http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9602/israel_elex/02-11/index.html |work=CNN |date=11 February 1996 |access-date=10 March 2013 |archive-date=5 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005003749/http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9602/israel_elex/02-11/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Netanyahu was the Likud's candidate for prime minister in the [[1996 Israeli prime ministerial election|1996 Israeli legislative election]] which took place on 29 May 1996 and were the first Israeli elections in which [[Israelis]] elected their prime minister directly.<ref name="Schmemann-1996">{{Cite news |last=Schmemann |first=Serge |date=30 May 1996 |title=THE ISRAELI VOTE: THE OVERVIEW;Election for Prime Minister of Israel Is a Dead Heat |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/30/world/israeli-vote-overview-election-for-prime-minister-israel-dead-heat.html |access-date=29 January 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129220040/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/30/world/israeli-vote-overview-election-for-prime-minister-israel-dead-heat.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Netanyahu hired American [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] political operative [[Arthur J. Finkelstein|Arthur Finkelstein]] to run his campaign,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berger |first=Joseph |date=26 May 1996 |title=He Had Pataki's Ear; Now It's Netanyahu's |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/world/he-had-pataki-s-ear-now-it-s-netanyahu-s.html |access-date=29 January 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129220040/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/world/he-had-pataki-s-ear-now-it-s-netanyahu-s.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and although the American style of sound bites and sharp attacks elicited harsh criticism,{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} Netanyahu won the [[1996 Israeli prime ministerial election|1996 election]], becoming the youngest person in the history of the position and the first Israeli prime minister to be born in the State of Israel ([[Yitzhak Rabin]] was born in Jerusalem, under the British Mandate of Palestine, prior to the 1948 founding of the Israeli state).<ref name="Schmemann-1996" />

Netanyahu's victory over the pre-election favorite [[Shimon Peres]] surprised many. The main catalyst in the downfall of the latter was a wave of [[List of Palestinian suicide attacks|suicide bombings]] shortly before the elections; on [[Jaffa Road bus bombings#Second bombing|3]] and [[Dizengoff Center suicide bombing|4 March 1996]], Palestinians carried out two [[suicide bombing]]s, killing 32 Israelis, with Peres seemingly unable to stop the attacks. During the campaign, Netanyahu stressed that progress in the peace process would be based on the [[Palestinian National Authority]] fulfilling its obligations – mainly fighting terrorism – and the Likud campaign slogan was, "Netanyahu – making a [[safe peace]]". However, although Netanyahu won the election for prime minister, Peres's [[Israeli Labor Party]] received more seats in the [[1996 Israeli legislative election|Knesset elections]]. Netanyahu had to rely on a coalition with the [[Haredi Judaism|ultra-Orthodox]] parties, [[Shas]] and [[United Torah Judaism|UTJ]] in order to form a government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1996 |url=https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/elections/1996/ |access-date=17 January 2025 |website=[[Israel Democracy Institute]] |language=en}}</ref>