Bibi: My Story

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Born in the wake of the Holocaust at the dawn of Israel's independence and raised in a family with a prominent Zionist history, they understood that the Jewish state was a hard-won and still precarious gift.

Netanyahu says he understands Putin’s resentments: “The opening up of Russia …revealed that Russia had fallen hopelessly behind the west. Four years later, in 1976, Yoni was killed in Entebbe, Uganda, while leading his men in one of the most daring hostage-rescue missions in modern times. In Bibi, Benjamin Netanyahu, who in separate stints has served as Israel’s prime minister for fifteen years and is also expected to form the next government following November’s general election, recounts his life story in a fascinating, clear and intelligent way.

Benjamin Netanyahu is the Prime Minister of Israel, having been reelected in 2022 after previously serving from 1996–1999 and 2009–2021.

Then there is Benjamin Netanyahu’s autobiography, which is not a politician’s autobiography at all, but an adventure story dressed up as one. One of the tourists is Evan, taking an enforced holiday from his family and work in Belfast after breaking down after the death of his daughter in infancy. A graduate of MIT, he served as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations from 1984–1988, before being elected to the Israeli parliament as a member of the Likud party in 1988. The passion of Netanyahu’s memoir, his family, his life, his career, is love for the Jewish people and the land of Israel, in a word, Zionism.But in general, a very enjoyable read and undoubtedly Netanyahu is an admirable character whose political, economical and security vision has vastly impacted Israel for the better and he pivots a strong case that Israel's recent economic and diplomatic successes are largely due to his policies and vision. There is a lot of self congratulation in the book in transforming Israel's economy from command to a market driven start-up nation. It describes economic miracles in moving Israel from a poorly functioning economy to one of the top 10 economies in the world. Bibi, My Story” certainly requires a commitment of time given that it is 655 pages not including over 60 pages of citations and an index at the end, but it is well worth it. Born in the wake of the Holocaust at the dawn of Israel’s independence and raised in a family with a prominent Zionist history, they understood that the Jewish state was a hard-won and still precarious gift.

Netanyahu, we also learn of his dealings with and/or opinions about a wide variety of Israeli, American, and foreign politicians including Golda Meir, Shimon Perez, Itzhak Rabin, Yasser Arafat, Ronald Reagan, George Schultz, Bill Clinton, Barrack Obama, Donald Trump, and many others. He served as Prime Minister from 1996-1999 (during the Clinton administration) and from 2009-2021 (during the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, and has served as Prime Minister again since December 2022.It goes back to the mists of the Abrahamic covenant, the exodus from Egyptian slavery, the conquest of pagan Canaanite tribes descendant from Noah, and the Davidic Kingdom, whose star waves on the Israeli flag today over the city of Jerusalem, which was first made capital under King David. If we get a lot of mandates, we will have the legitimacy to demand significant portfolios such as the defense and the treasury,” Bezalel Smotrich, head of the far-right Religious Zionism party, declares. Starting in Russia, Netanyahu’s direct progenitors crisscross the globe with notable stops in the United States, Great Britain, throughout Europe, and the city that is the focus of their aspirations, Jerusalem.

Reading Bibi: My Story, however inadequately named, gives an engaging overview of the man, the history of Israel, the domestic Israeli political arena, the American-Israeli alliance and the love of Zion shared by Jewish people around the world. Netanyahu also serves as the current Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel. I appreciate his candor regarding differences of opinion (most starkly with Obama, whose geopolitical perspective he summarizes well), but his respect for each leader is obvious.I’m sure Israel is grateful that during this tragic time (the Hamas attacks just a few days ago), they have Netanyahu as their leader. This book includes very interesting anecdotes of Bibi’s personal relationships and political negotiations with each of these presidents, as well as his negotiations with key players for the Palestinians and the Arab states. Other than that, you almost get the feeling he couldn't wait to get through the chapter to hurry and get to another, where he might have something to say, except he doesn't. Because he described so thoroughly the decisions that he made along with the reasons behind each decision, showing how hopeless situations can be turned around. But the most interesting part of the book are his discussions about policy and diplomacy - in his quest to protect the future of Israel.