GOVERNMENT

Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister

2023 has been arguably the most challenging year yet in the storied career of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After winning the Israeli election at the end of 2022, Netanyahu formed a governing coalition with a program of judicial overhaul at the center of its agenda. After months of protests and growing polarization within Israeli society, Netanyahu has still not been able to forge a consensus over his government's reforms. At the same time, he has underlined that the internal crisis should not derail Israel's foreign relations and its efforts to enhance its security, pushing for a historic peace deal with Saudi Arabia that would transform the Middle East's political landscape. "One thing is certain and one thing will never change, and that is Israel's commitment to democracy," Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden during a meeting in New York in September. "We will continue to uphold the values that both our proud democracies cherish." (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)