Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at AIPAC 2013 Policy Conference. Photo: Arsen Ostrovsky

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister

Netanyahu has spent a good part of his life in public office, and is poised to be the longest serving prime minister in Israel’s history after winning January’s elections. Netanyahu showed a willingness to extend a hand across the political aisle by inviting Tzipi Livini and newcomer Yair Lapid into his coalition. Responsible for both domestic concerns and international diplomacy, he’s proven time and again he’s unafraid to ruffle the feathers of the global community when it’s in the best interest of the Jewish state. He spent the year lobbying the international community to confront Iran, a regime that continues to call for the destruction of Israel while arming its proxies in the region in advance of a possible confrontation. But Netanyahu’s also shown a willingness to extend his hand in peace and compromise while doing so: In May he made the controversial step of backing the possible creation of a demilitarized Palestinian Arab state.