Netanyahu Sworn In As Prime Minister Of Israel

On Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power as he was sworn as prime minister in Israel.

Netanyahu had already served more years as Israel’s prime minister than any man in history. He was first elected in 1996, at age 46 the youngest person to ever serve as prime minister, after having served from 1984-1988 as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations. From 1996 to 1999, he served as Prime Minister, and then as Finance Minister, from 2003 to 2005. He was focused on turning the Jewish State toward capitalism, which he did by significantly reducing tax rates. His tenure saw the ratio of debt to GDP drop to one among the lowest in the world and foreign investment reach record levels. In 2009, Netanyahu was elected prime minister for a record-breaking 12 year term.

“This new government is determined to restore governance, peace, and personal security to the citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu spoke on Thursday, when he was sworn into office. Critics in Israel and elsewhere who had attacked his coalition’s inclusion of staunch nationalists like Itamar Bezalal Ben-Gvir and Bezalal Shmotrich, he said: “I hear the opposition’s constant laments about ‘the end of the state’ and even ‘the end of democracy.’”

He said it bluntly. “Members of the opposition, losing the elections is not the end of democracy — it is the essence of democracy. A democratic regime is tested first of all by the willingness of the losing side to accept the majority’s decision. In an orderly democracy, the rules of the game are respected.”

“We saw it just now in a different context, in the World Cup final, when French fans were disappointed like you, but they accepted the result. They applauded Argentina’s team. I know you won’t applaud, but I do expect you to respect the voters’ decision and cease rebelling