Lester Crown (born June 7, 1925) is an American businessman and is the son of Chicago financier Henry Crown (died 1990), who created the Material Service Corporation with two brothers in 1919, which merged with General Dynamics in 1959.
98-611: Crown has been a perennial member of the Forbes 400 list since 1982. He controls family holdings, including large stakes in Maytag , Hilton Hotels , Alltel , Aspen Skiing Company , New York's Rockefeller Center , and pro basketball's Chicago Bulls . He also holds a 13% stake in the New York Yankees , an increase from 10% when he was an original limited partner with George Steinbrenner 's investment group in 1973. Presumably,
196-405: A coma , observed Mashal's symptoms to be consistent with an opioid overdose . They administered the antidote, which saved Mashal's life. According to Ronen Bergman based on internal IDF sources, Mashal's antidote only secured the release of the two Mossad Kidon agents that were carrying out the assassination attempt. At least six other Mossad agents involved in the operations were holed up in
294-423: A rotation agreement between Netanyahu and Benny Gantz . This collapsed in 2020, leading to a March 2021 election . In June 2021, Netanyahu was removed from the premiership, before returning after the 2022 election . Netanyahu's coalition pursued judicial reform , which was met with protests in early 2023 . In October 2023, Israel suffered a large-scale attack by Hamas -led Palestinian groups, triggering
392-627: A 2008 letter to voters Crown expressed his support for Barack Obama, the Democratic Presidential Candidate: While my involvement in politics is motivated by a variety of issues, there is one issue that is fundamental: My deep commitment to Israel and to a strong U.S.-Israel relationship that strengthens both Israel's security and its efforts to seek peace," Crown wrote. "I am writing to share with you my confidence that Senator Barack Obama's stellar record on Israel gives me great comfort that, as President, he will be
490-599: A 2009 study using data on the Forbes 400 shows a strong effect for U.S. billionaires that is consistent with the Trivers–Willard hypothesis, a 2013 study shows some caveats: First, the result is only consistent for male, but not female, billionaires. Second, it can only be found among heirs and not self-made billionaires. This has to do with the timing of wealth accumulation: some self-made billionaires had their children before they were rich, but heirs, by definition, were rich before ever becoming parents (see also ). Third,
588-793: A Palestinian state." In 1978, Netanyahu returned to Israel. Between 1978 and 1980, he ran the Jonathan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute, a non-governmental organization devoted to the study of terrorism; the Institute held a number of international conferences focused on the discussion of international terrorism. From 1980 to 1982, he was director of marketing for Rim Industries in Jerusalem. During this period Netanyahu made his first connections with several Israeli politicians, including Minister Moshe Arens . Arens appointed him as his Deputy Chief of Mission at
686-534: A Pittsburgh SWAT unit allowed his speeches to continue downtown at the hall and the Duquesne Club as well as suburban Robert Morris University . On 12 September 2002, Netanyahu testified (under oath as a private citizen) before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding the nuclear threat posed by the Iraqi régime: "There is no question whatsoever that Saddam
784-399: A bloated public sector and excessive regulations were largely responsible for stifling economic growth. His plan involved a move toward more liberalized markets , although it was not without its critics. He instituted a program to end welfare dependency by requiring people to apply for jobs or training, reduced the size of the public sector, froze government spending for three years, and capped
882-588: A civil war. Netanyahu refused, and the incident quickly grew in political significance. With Israeli-Jordanian relations rapidly deteriorating, King Hussein threatened to void the historic 1994 peace between the two countries should Mashal die. U.S President Bill Clinton intervened and compelled Netanyahu to turn over the antidote. The head of Mossad, Danny Yatom , flew to Jordan, with Netanyahu's consent, bringing an antidote to treat Mashal. The doctors at King Hussein Medical Center , where Mashal lay in
980-407: A device to Mashal's left ear that transmitted a fast-acting poison. Mashal's bodyguards were suspicious prior to the attack and were able to chase the agents down and capture them. Other agents were also found and captured. In an interview, he described the attack as "a loud noise in my ear ... like a boom, like an electric shock." Initially, he thought the agents had failed to hurt him but later in
1078-506: 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." At that time he changed his name to Benjamin " Ben " Nitai (Nitai,
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#17327721499261176-563: A net worth of US$ 75 million secured a spot on the list. The 1982 list represented 2.8% of the Gross Domestic Product of the United States. The 1982 Forbes 400 had 22.8% of the list composed of oil fortunes, with 15.3% from manufacturing, 9% from finance and only 3% from technology-driven fortunes. The state of New York had the most representation on the list with 77 members, followed by California with 48. In
1274-469: 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). 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. In 1976, Netanyahu's older brother Yonatan Netanyahu
1372-572: A response, Netanyahu authorized the assassination of Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Jordan. On 25 September 1997, Mossad agents acting under orders from Netanyahu and his security cabinet attempted to assassinate him. The agents entered Jordan on fake Canadian passports and disguised as tourists. Two of them waited at the entrance of the Hamas offices in Jordan's capital Amman, and, as Mashal walked into his office, one of them came up from behind and held
1470-529: A role in his defeat in the 1999 Israeli general election . After being defeated by Ehud Barak in the 1999 Israeli prime ministerial election , Netanyahu temporarily retired from politics. He subsequently served as a senior consultant with Israeli communications equipment manufacturer BATM Advanced Communications for two years. With the fall of the Barak government in late 2000, Netanyahu expressed his desire to return to politics. By law, Barak's resignation
1568-648: A street in Amman . The plot was exposed and two agents were arrested by the Jordanian police while three others hid in the Israeli embassy which was then surrounded by troops. An angry King Hussein demanded Israel to give out the antidote and threatened to annul the peace treaty. Netanyahu relented to the demands after pressure by US President Bill Clinton and ordered the release of 61 Jordanian and Palestinian prisoners including Sheikh Ahmad Yassin . The incident sent
1666-621: A surprise move, Sharon offered the Foreign Ministry to Silvan Shalom and offered Netanyahu the Finance Ministry . Some pundits speculated that Sharon made the move because he deemed Netanyahu a political threat given his demonstrated effectiveness as foreign minister, and that by placing him in the Finance Ministry during a time of economic uncertainty, he could diminish Netanyahu's popularity. Netanyahu accepted
1764-513: A team-leader in the unit. He was wounded in combat on multiple occasions. 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. He was discharged from active service in 1972 but remained in the Sayeret Matkal reserves. Following his discharge, he left to study in
1862-830: Is a Deputy Chair of the International Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and a member of the Tel Aviv University 's Board of Governors. Crown is also involved with The Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University . He donated the initial $ 10 million gift that started the center in 2005. He and the rest of his family are involved with the Crown Fellows program in American history at Brandeis, as well. In
1960-554: Is an Israeli politician, serving as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. He is chair of the Likud party. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, having served a total of over 17 years. Born to secular Jewish parents, Netanyahu was raised in West Jerusalem and the United States. He returned to Israel in 1967 to join
2058-474: Is divorced from celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson . Among his seven children are board members of several major cultural institutions. Another daughter, Susan , is chairwoman of the Shoah Foundation . Together the family's net worth exceeds ten billion dollars, as of December 2020. Forbes 400 The Forbes 400 or 400 Richest Americans is a list published by Forbes magazine of
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#17327721499262156-543: Is given to those who inherited their fortune and have not worked to increase or manage it. A score of 10 is given to those who both grew up poor and overcame significant obstacles. Forbes characterizes members with a rating of 6 or above as "self-made". For the 2022 edition, this places slightly over two-thirds of the members in the self-made category. The self-made score has been invoked in discussions about inherited wealth , economic mobility , and related subjects, with some commentators supporting Forbes' characterization of
2254-551: Is predominantly Ashkenazi , he has said that a DNA test revealed him to have some Sephardic ancestry. He claims descent from the Vilna Gaon . 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
2352-452: Is seeking and is working and is advancing towards the development of nuclear weapons – no question whatsoever", he said. "And there is no question that once he acquires it, history shifts immediately." In his testimony, Netanyahu also said, "If you take out Saddam, Saddam's regime, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region." After the 2003 Israeli legislative election , in what many observers regarded as
2450-633: Is the chairman of the Commercial Club of Chicago and Chicago Council on Global Affairs . Crown is the son of Rebecca (née Kranz) and Henry Crown and was raised in Evanston, Illinois . He is of Jewish descent. During high school, he worked at the family business, Material Service Corporation (merged into General Dynamics in 1959). His mother died in 1943. Crown received a B.S. in chemical engineering from Northwestern University in 1946 and an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1949. He
2548-491: Is the sister of producer G. David Schine and daughter of theater and hotel magnate, Junius Myer Schine . They have seven children: A. Steven Crown, James Crown , Patricia Crown, Susan Crown Kunkler , Daniel Crown, Sara Crown Star, and Janet Crown Peterson. Their son James (1953-2023) succeeded him as the President and Chairman of Henry Crown & Co. A daughter, Janet, is founder and owner of Burn 60 Fitness Studios and
2646-520: The 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). Netanyahu's victory over the pre-election favorite Shimon Peres surprised many. The main catalyst in the downfall of
2744-461: The Forbes 400 are self-made, while emphasizing that the list's share of entrepreneurs has increased from 40% in 1982 to 69% in 2014. A few articles draw on the Forbes 400 to test an evolutionary hypothesis called the Trivers–Willard hypothesis . This hypothesis predicts that parents of high socioeconomic status produce more male offspring than parents of lower socioeconomic status. Whereas
2842-581: The Forbes 400 richest Americans found three gay people, four Asian Indians , six (non-Indian) Asians , and 34 women on the list. American Jews made up as many as 30% of the richest 100, and (in 2009) 139 of the Forbes 400. In 2017, just two African Americans made the Forbes 400: media proprietor Oprah Winfrey and tech investor Robert Smith ; only five of the Forbes 400 have Latino backgrounds. Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949)
2940-953: The Israel Defense Forces and served in the Sayeret Matkal special forces as a captain before being honorably discharged. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Netanyahu worked for the Boston Consulting Group and moved back to Israel in 1978 to found the Yonatan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute . Between 1984 and 1988 Netanyahu was Israel's ambassador to the United Nations . Netanyahu rose to prominence after election as chair of Likud in 1993 , becoming leader of
3038-501: 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, rising to become
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3136-579: The Israeli Labor Party left the coalition and vacated the position of foreign minister, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appointed Netanyahu as foreign minister. Netanyahu challenged Sharon for the leadership of the Likud party in the 2002 Likud leadership election , but failed to oust him. On 9 September 2002, a scheduled speech by Netanyahu at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
3234-662: The Israel–Hamas war . Due to the failure to anticipate the attack, Netanyahu has been criticized for presiding over Israel's biggest intelligence failure in 50 years, and has faced protests calling for his removal. Netanyahu's government has been accused of genocide , culminating in the South Africa v. Israel case before the International Court of Justice in December 2023. In May 2024, Karim Khan ,
3332-461: The debate club , chess club , and soccer . 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 synagogue, Temple Judea of Philadelphia , that the family attended. I have great respect for the unit. This is a unit that changes
3430-704: The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced his intention to apply for an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, along with members of his cabinet and Hamas leadership, for war crimes and crimes against humanity as part of the ICC investigation in Palestine . The ICC issued an arrest warrant on 21 November of the same year for Netanyahu along with former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas militant Mohammed Deif , whom Israel presumes dead after an airstrike . Netanyahu
3528-422: The pseudonyms used by Donald Trump , and eventually included Trump at the end of the Forbes 400 list at $ 100 million, one fifth of the $ 500 million which "Barron" was claiming as Donald Trump's net worth. This figure was later corrected and, following civil proceedings years later, Trump admitted the name was fabricated. Forbes' self-made score rates each member of the list on a scale of 1 to 10. A score of 1
3626-778: The 1980s, he gradually took over the family business, Henry Crown & Co., from his father. Affiliations include: Trusteeship of Northwestern University, the Aspen Institute and the Michael Reese Health Trust. Crown is on the Board of Directors of Lyric Opera and Children's Memorial Hospital , and the America Abroad Media advisory board. He is a member of Lake Shore Country Club, Northmoor Country Club, Standard Club , Economic Club of Chicago, and Northwestern University's John Evans Club. He
3724-769: The 1996 Israeli election were marred by a series of Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. After the Shin Bet assassinated Hamas military leader Yahya Ayyash on 5 January 1996, Mohammed Deif , now commander of the Qassam Brigades , organized a mass-casualty bombing campaign inside Israel as retaliation, including the Dizengoff Center suicide bombing in Tel Aviv and the two Jaffa Road bus bombings in Jerusalem. These operations were, in their scale, scope and sophistication, different and larger than any attacks of
3822-498: The 39 years since the first list, the minimum net worth to make the list had increased over 38-fold, or 3866% (from $ 75 million to $ 2.9 billion), while basic consumer price inflation had risen less than 300% (or less than 3-fold). In April 2018, an ex- Forbes reporter Jonathan Greenberg alleged that Donald Trump had inflated his actual wealth in order to be included on the Forbes 400 listing. Greenberg provided original audio recordings of his 1984 exchange with "John Barron", one of
3920-485: The Ansariya ambush. Netanyahu called it "one of the worst tragedies that has ever occurred to us". These major Israeli failures against Hamas and Hezbollah under Netanyahu's first premiership and their results in the subsequent releases of imprisoned Palestinian and Lebanese leaders from Israeli jails are thought to have dealt a blow to Netanyahu's rhetoric of a "tough stance" towards enemies of Israel, and to have played
4018-633: The Golan Heights , and brokered the Abraham Accords , normalization agreements between Israel and the Arab world . Netanyahu has faced criticism over expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank , deemed illegal under international law . In 2019, Netanyahu was indicted on charges of breach of trust, bribery and fraud , and relinquished all ministerial posts, except prime minister. The 2018–2022 Israeli political crisis led to
Lester Crown - Misplaced Pages Continue
4116-462: The Golan Heights, no discussion of the case of Jerusalem, no negotiations under any preconditions. In 1997, Netanyahu authorized a Mossad operation to assassinate Hamas leader Khaled Mashal in Jordan , just three years after the two countries had signed a peace treaty . The Mossad team, covering as five Canadian tourists, entered Jordan on 27 September 1997 and injected poison into Mashal's ears in
4214-586: The Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while Arens was ambassador to the United States, a position he held from 1982 until 1984. During the 1982 Lebanon War , he was called up for reserve duty in Sayeret Matkal and requested to be released from service, preferring to remain in the US and serve as a spokesperson for Israel in the wake of harsh international criticism of the war. He presented Israel's case to
4312-485: The Israeli Prime Minister's Office. Following the defeat of the Likud party in the 1992 Israeli legislative elections the Likud party 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 (Sharon initially sought Likud party leadership as well, but quickly withdrew when it
4410-585: The Israeli cabinet voted 17 to 5 to approve the initial phase of withdrawal from Gaza . Following the withdrawal of Sharon from the Likud, Netanyahu was one of several candidates who vied for the Likud leadership. His most recent attempt prior to this was in September 2005 when he had tried to hold early primaries for the position of the head of the Likud party, while the party held the office of prime minister – thus effectively pushing Ariel Sharon out of office. The party rejected this initiative. Netanyahu retook
4508-481: The Israeli economy started booming and unemployment fell significantly, Netanyahu was widely credited by commentators as having performed an 'economic miracle' by the end of his tenure. However, opponents in the Labor party (and even a few within his own Likud) viewed Netanyahu's policies as "Thatcherite" attacks on the venerated Israeli social safety net. Ultimately, unemployment declined while economic growth soared,
4606-403: The Israeli embassy. King Hussein would only release them if Israel released Ahmed Yassin and a large number of other Palestinian prisoners. King Hussein needed the demands to be "enough to enable the king to be able to publicly defend the release of the hit team." In a 2008 interview, Mashal said of the attempt on his life: "[It] made me more positive about life. I became more courageous in
4704-502: 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 Knesset elections . Netanyahu had to rely on a coalition with the ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and UTJ in order to form a government. A spate of suicide bombings reinforced the Likud position for security. Hamas claimed responsibility for most of
4802-770: The Oslo Accords, Prime Minister Netanyahu continued their implementation, but his Premiership saw a marked slow-down in the peace process. In 1996, Netanyahu and Jerusalem 's mayor Ehud Olmert decided to open an exit in the Arab Quarter for the Western Wall Tunnel , which prior prime minister Shimon Peres had instructed to be put on hold for the sake of peace. This sparked three days of rioting by Palestinians, resulting in dozens of both Israelis and Palestinians being killed. Netanyahu first met Palestinian President Arafat on 4 September 1996. Prior to
4900-629: The United States but returned in October 1973 to serve in the Yom Kippur War . 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. 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
4998-602: The Yom Kippur War, he returned to the United States and, under the name Ben Nitay , completed a bachelor's degree in architecture in February 1975 and earned a master's degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1976. Concurrently, he was studying towards a doctorate in political science, until his studies were broken off by the death of his brother in the Entebbe raid . At MIT, Netanyahu studied
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#17327721499265096-649: The bombings. As prime minister, Netanyahu raised many questions about many central premises of the Oslo Accords . One of his main points was disagreement with the Oslo premise that the negotiations should proceed in stages, meaning that concessions should be made to Palestinians before any resolution was reached on major issues, such as the status of Jerusalem , and the amending of the Palestinian National Charter . Oslo supporters had claimed that
5194-660: The budget deficit at 1%. The taxation system was streamlined and taxes were cut, with the top individual tax rate reduced from 64% to 44% and the corporate tax rate from 36% to 18%. A host of state assets worth billions of dollars were privatized, including banks, oil refineries, the El Al national airline, and Zim Integrated Shipping Services . The retirement ages for both men and women were raised, and currency exchange laws were further liberalized. Commercial banks were forced to spin off their long-term savings. In addition, Netanyahu attacked monopolies and cartels to increase competition. As
5292-509: The company between 1976 and 1978. At the Boston Consulting Group, he was a colleague of Mitt Romney , with whom he formed a lasting friendship. Romney described Netanyahu at the time as "a strong personality with a distinct point of view", and said, "We can almost speak in shorthand ... [w]e share common experiences and have a perspective and underpinning which is similar." Netanyahu said that their "easy communication"
5390-684: The country, open foreign bank accounts, hold foreign currency, and invest freely in other countries. Throughout his term, Netanyahu was opposed by the political left wing in Israel and lost support from the right because of his concessions to the Palestinians in Hebron and elsewhere, and due to his negotiations with Arafat generally. Netanyahu lost favor with the Israeli public after a long chain of scandals involving his marriage and corruption charges. In 1997, police recommended that Netanyahu be indicted on corruption charges for influence-peddling. He
5488-446: The day he developed a severe headache and began vomiting. He was rushed to a Jordanian hospital where his condition rapidly deteriorated. Immediately after the incident, Jordan's King Hussein demanded that Netanyahu turn over the antidote for the poison, threatening to sever diplomatic relations and to try the detained Mossad agents. King Hussein feared that the death of a Hamas leader would trigger riots in his kingdom, perhaps even
5586-568: The debt-to-GDP ratio dropped to one of the lowest in the world, and foreign investment reached record highs. Netanyahu threatened to resign from office in 2004 unless the Gaza pullout plan was put to a referendum. He later modified the ultimatum and voted for the program in the Knesset, indicating immediately thereafter that he would resign unless a referendum was held within 14 days. He submitted his resignation letter on 7 August 2005, shortly before
5684-457: The face of death. My faith became stronger that a man does not die until his time comes. That is, I will die when God decides, not when Mossad decides. It also made me more resolute in fulfilling my responsibilities." On the same day that Hamas bombed the Ben Yehuda street in Jerusalem, Hezbollah executed a well-planned ambush on the IDF's naval specia forces Shayetet 13 in Ansariya, South Lebanon, killing 12 Israeli commandos. On 25 May 1998,
5782-446: The father of future U.S. President Donald Trump . 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 . Netanyahu and Levy did not cooperate and
5880-530: The friend to Israel that we all want to see in the White House - stalwart in his defense of Israel's security, and committed to helping Israel achieve peace with its neighbors." In April 2013 Crown was one of 100 prominent American Jews who signed a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging him to "work closely" with Secretary of State John Kerry "to devise pragmatic initiatives, consistent with Israel's security needs, which would represent Israel's readiness to make painful territorial sacrifices for
5978-449: The large stake held in Bank One at the time of the 2003 Forbes 400 listing has converted to JPMorgan Chase stock and was derived from an interest in First Chicago Bank , which was enumerated in the 1998 Forbes 400 list as First Chicago NBD shares. Recent achievements include brokering a controversial agreement to expand O'Hare International Airport , and spearheading the funding of the new Cook County Hospital (Stroger Hospital). He
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#17327721499266076-410: The latter was a wave of suicide bombings shortly before the elections; on 3 and 4 March 1996 , Palestinians carried out two suicide bombings , 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
6174-399: The leadership on 20 December 2005, with 47% of the primary vote, to 32% for Silvan Shalom and 15% for Moshe Feiglin . In the March 2006 Knesset elections , Likud took the third place behind Kadima and Labor and Netanyahu served as Leader of the Opposition. On 14 August 2007, Netanyahu was reelected as chairman of the Likud and its candidate for the post of prime minister with 73% of
6272-415: The list's members, and others challenging it. In September 2012, the Institute for Policy Studies claimed that "over 60 percent" of the Forbes richest 400 Americans "grew up in substantial privilege". They note that wealthy parents can bestow their children with privileges other than a large inheritance, such as paying for expensive tuition. In contrast, the Chicago Booth endorses the claim that most of
6370-442: The media during the war and established a highly efficient public relations system in the Israeli embassy. Between 1984 and 1988, Netanyahu served as the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations . Netanyahu was influenced by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson , with whom he formed a relationship during the 1980s. He referred to Schneerson as "the most influential man of our time". At this time Netanyahu became friends with Fred Trump ,
6468-492: The meeting, the two leaders spoke by telephone. The meetings would continue through Autumn 1996. On their first meeting, Netanyahu said: "I would like to emphasize that we have to take into account the needs and the requirements of both sides on the basis of reciprocity and the assurance of the security and well-being of both Israelis and Palestinian alike." Arafat said: "We are determined to work with Mr. Netanyahu and with his government." The talks culminated on 14 January 1997, in
6566-435: The most wealth in the United States . They annually create a list of the richest people in America to exhibit the shape of the economy. The magazine displays the story of someone's rise to fame, their company, age, industrial residence, and education. The list portrays the financial shift of trends, leadership positions, and growing philanthropy intentions. In the first Forbes 400 list, there were only 13 billionaires, and
6664-425: The multi-stage approach would build goodwill among Palestinians and would propel them to seek reconciliation when these major issues were raised in later stages. Netanyahu said that these concessions only gave encouragement to extremist elements, without receiving any tangible gestures in return. He called for tangible gestures of Palestinian goodwill in return for Israeli concessions. Despite his stated differences with
6762-442: The murder of Ayyash. According to Mike Kelly , Hamas operative Hassan Salameh, who planned three of the attacks, was trained in Iran . In 2000, families of American victims of the attacks filed a lawsuit against Tlass, Kanaan and Iranian Minister of Intelligence Ali Fallahian . According to Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman , Deif's campaign of massive retaliation and the failure of Israeli intelligence services to prevent it,
6860-410: The nascent Israeli-Jordanian relations plummeting. During his term, Netanyahu also began a process of economic liberalization, taking steps towards a free-market economy. Under his watch, the government began selling its shares in banks and major state-run companies. Netanyahu also greatly eased Israel's strict foreign exchange controls , enabling Israelis to take an unrestricted amount of money out of
6958-439: The new appointment. Sharon and Netanyahu came to an agreement that Netanyahu would have complete freedom as finance minister and have Sharon back all of his reforms, in exchange for Netanyahu's silence over Sharon's management of Israel's military and foreign affairs. As finance minister, Netanyahu undertook an economic plan in order to restore Israel's economy from its low point during the Second Intifada . Netanyahu claimed that
7056-459: The opposition . In the 1996 general election , Netanyahu became the first Israeli prime minister elected directly by popular vote, and its youngest. Netanyahu was defeated in the 1999 election and retired from politics, entering the private sector. He returned and served as minister of foreign affairs and finance , initiating economic reforms , before resigning over the Gaza disengagement plan . Netanyahu returned to lead Likud in 2005 and
7154-563: The past, and it has been alleged that both Syria and Iran had helped in their planning and financing. According to a report, Syrian Minister of Defense Mustafa Tlass instructed Ghazi Kanaan , the commander of Syrian forces in Lebanon , to establish links between Hezbollah and Hamas fighters, who were then trained both in Lebanon and in Iran and participated in the retaliatory operations for
7252-633: The peace process, which was the short-term goal of the attacks anyway. In 1997 Ali Fallahian, the iranian Intelligence Minister, authorized a new Hamas bombing campaign to further disrupt the peace process, and Hamas leader Khaled Meshal , then living in Amman , Jordan, picked Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, an expert bomb-maker in the West Bank , to construct the bombs, and sent five suicide bombers to detonate them simultaneously in Jerusalem on 30 July 1997 ( Mahane Yehuda market bombings ) and 4 September 1997 ( Ben Yehuda street bombings) ), killing 21 Israelis. As
7350-483: The peace process," in the words of the deputy head of the Shin Bet, Yisrael Hasson . Curiously enough, though, after the election, the attacks stopped for almost a year. Some said this was because of Arafat 's campaign against Hamas, and the arrest of many members of its military wing. Others believed that Hamas no longer had any reason to carry out suicide attacks, because Netanyahu had already almost completely stopped
7448-399: The power of corporations." Bernstein and Swan also describe it as representing "a powerful argument – and sometimes a dream – about the social value of wealth in contemporary America." Since 2014, Forbes has published a "self-made score" alongside the list, indicating the degree to which each Forbes 400 member is responsible for their own wealth. The Forbes 400 is a report of who has
7546-537: The reality of our lives even though its actions are a secret. Although it is a small unit, it influences all branches of the military ... My service in the unit strengthened my understanding of the risks involved behind approving operations and the risks that fighters are taking on. It is tangible and not theoretical for me. Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sayeret Matkal ( Maariv 2007) After graduating from high school in 1967, Netanyahu returned to Israel to enlist in
7644-411: The remains of Itamar Ilyah as well as body parts of at least two other soldiers who died in the Ansariya ambush were exchanged for 65 Lebanese prisoners and the bodies of 40 Hizbullah fighters and Lebanese soldiers captured by Israel. Among those returned to Lebanon, were the remains of Hadi Nasrallah, the son of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah , who was killed in a clash with IDF a week after
7742-706: 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
7840-845: The sake of peace." Crown received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1989. He was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 1999 in the area of Business and Social Service. Crown, alongside his wife, received the Blessed are the Peacemakers Award from Catholic Theological Union in 2012. In 1950, he married Renée Schine. His wife
7938-688: The signing of the Hebron Protocol . The signing of the Hebron Protocol with the Palestinian Authority resulted in the redeployment of Israeli forces in Hebron and the turnover of civilian authority in much of the area to the control of the Palestinian Authority . Eventually, the lack of progress of the peace process led to new negotiations which produced the Wye River Memorandum in 1998 which detailed
8036-489: The size of the effect was largely overestimated, given that the male offspring of billionaires as compared to female offspring is easier to find on the Web: Women sometimes change their last name upon marriage which makes some harder to find. Therefore, earlier reports on the male bias among billionaire offspring were partially an artifact of sample selection. In 2010, a Business Insider ethnic-demographic breakdown of
8134-510: The steps to be taken by the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority to implement the earlier Interim Agreement of 1995. It was signed by Netanyahu and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat , and on 17 November 1998, Israel's 120 member parliament, the Knesset , approved the Wye River Memorandum by a vote of 75–19. In a nod to the 1967 Khartoum conference , Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized a policy of "three no(s)": no withdrawal from
8232-428: The wealthiest 400 American citizens who own assets in the U.S., ranked by net worth . The 400 was started by Malcolm Forbes in 1982 and the list is published annually around September. Peter W. Bernstein and Annalyn Swan describe the Forbes 400 as capturing "a period of extraordinary individual and entrepreneurial energy, a time unlike the extended postwar years, from 1945 to 1982, when American society emphasized
8330-414: The year 2000, Forbes 400 saw the highest percent of the gross domestic product represented by the list at 12.2% driven by the internet boom. By 2021, calculated using stock prices from September 3, 2021, the minimum net worth to make the Forbes 400 was $ 2.9 billion; the top billionaire on the list, Jeff Bezos, was worth over $ 200 billion; and the collective fortunes of the 400 reached $ 4.5 trillion. In
8428-480: Was "responsible and punctual"; and that he was friendly, disciplined, cheerful, brave, active, and obedient. Between 1956 and 1958, and again from 1963 to 1967, his family lived in the United States in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania , a suburb of Philadelphia, while father Benzion Netanyahu taught at Dropsie College . Benjamin attended and graduated from Cheltenham High School and was active in
8526-574: Was President of Marblehead Lime Co as well as the president of Royal Crown RC Cola from 1956 to 1966. During the 1950s, the Crown family had a controlling interest in New York's Empire State Building . He has served as the president and chair of General Dynamics . He was President of Henry Crown & Co. from 1969 to 2002,then Chairman until 2018. He is a former director of Continental Illinois bank , Trans World Airlines , Maytag , and Esmark . In
8624-612: Was a result of "B.C.G.'s intellectually rigorous boot camp". In 1978, Netanyahu appeared on Boston local television, under the name "Ben Nitai", where he argued: "The real core of the conflict is the unfortunate Arab refusal to accept the State of Israel ... For 20 years the Arabs had both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip , and if self-determination, as they now say, is the core of the conflict, they could have easily established
8722-490: Was accused of appointing an attorney general who would reduce the charges but prosecutors ruled that there was insufficient evidence to go to trial. In 1999, Netanyahu faced another scandal when the Israel Police recommended that he be tried for corruption for $ 100,000 in free services from a government contractor; Israel's attorney general did not prosecute, citing difficulties with evidence. The months leading up to
8820-786: Was born in 1949 in Tel Aviv . 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 Jewish Golden age of Spain . His paternal grandfather, Nathan Mileikowsky , was a rabbi and Zionist writer. When Netanyahu's father immigrated to Mandatory Palestine , he hebraized his surname from "Mileikowsky" to "Netanyahu", meaning "God has given." While his family
8918-514: Was canceled after hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters overwhelmed security and smashed through a glass window. Netanyahu was not present at the protest, having remained at his hotel throughout the duration. He later accused the activists of supporting terrorism and "mad zealotry". Weeks later on 1 October 2002 around 200 protesters met Netanyahu outside his Heinz Hall appearance in Pittsburgh although Pittsburgh Police , Israeli security and
9016-403: Was evident that he was attracting minimal support). Shamir retired from politics shortly after the Likud's defeat in the 1992 elections. Following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords , Rabin 's temporary successor Shimon Peres decided to call early elections in order to give the government a mandate to advance the peace process. Netanyahu
9114-611: 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 Airport in Uganda. Netanyahu was headhunted to be an economic consultant for the Boston Consulting Group in Boston, Massachusetts, working at
9212-516: Was leader of the opposition between 2006 and 2009. After the 2009 legislative election , Netanyahu formed a coalition with other right-wing parties and became prime minister again. He led Likud to victory in the 2013 and 2015 elections . Netanyahu made his closeness to Donald Trump , a friend since the 1980s, central to his appeal from 2016. During Trump's first presidency , the US recognized Jerusalem as capital of Israel , Israeli sovereignty over
9310-456: Was one of the factors that led to the defeat of Prime Minister Shimon Peres and the Israeli Labor Party in the 1996 Israeli general election and the victory of the right-wing Likud party of Netanyahu, who opposed the Oslo peace process : The wave of terror in February and March 1996 was a case study in how suicide attacks could alter the course of history. At the beginning of February, Peres
9408-426: Was supposed to lead to elections for the prime minister position only. Netanyahu insisted that general elections should be held, claiming that otherwise it would be impossible to have a stable government. Netanyahu decided eventually not to run for the prime minister position, a move which facilitated the surprising rise to power of Ariel Sharon , who at the time was considered less popular than Netanyahu. In 2002, after
9506-423: Was the Likud's candidate for prime minister in the 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. Netanyahu hired American Republican political operative Arthur Finkelstein to run his campaign, and although the American style of sound bites and sharp attacks elicited harsh criticism, Netanyahu won
9604-418: Was up twenty points in the polls over his opposition, the conservative hawk Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu. By the middle of March, Netanyahu had closed the gap significantly, and Peres led by only five percentage points. On May 29, Netanyahu won by 1 percent of the vote. This was all due to the terror attacks, which Peres simply couldn't stop. Yahya Ayyash's disciples had ensured the right wing's victory and "derailed
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