Benjamin Netanyahu has
moved center stage in the world as
Israel fights the terrorist group Hamas that threatens to destroy
Israel.The first Israeli Prime Minister to be born in Israel he
has held this position three times, in1996, 2009, and 2013. How does his personality affect the
decisions he has to make for his country and himself? Understanding his
birth order is the key.
Growing up Netanyahu
The Netanyahu family has
deep roots in Israel, his Grandfather
was a Zionist activist and his
mother was born in a part of
Palestine that would eventually become
Israel. Benjamin was
born in 1949 the second of three boys. Older brother Yonatan,
1946 was killed in
1976 in Uganda during Operation
Entebbe.
His youngest brother Iddo born in 1952 is a radiologist
and
writer. All the boys spent their
early years in Israel but lived
in the United States from 1956-58 and 1963-67 when their
father worked
at Cornell as a history professor. Benjamin
graduated from Cheltenham
High School in Philadelphia.
All the brothers served in the
Sayeret Matkal a special forces
unit of the Israeli army.
Changing Birth Orders from # 2 to # 1
Born the second of two
boys he has all the characteristics of a
second born. They have an
outgoing personality, very
competitive and they want to control
their own space. This
is the trait of “don’t tell me what to do”
that gives #2 the
stubborn label. He can appear charming
until someone pushes
that button and then they are up against a
very formidable
opponent. Second borns are rarely world
leaders as they do
not feel the need to tell others what to do but
like the behind
the scene support role. In his case the death of his brother
elevated
him to the firstborn position in the
family. Now he
has to act the role of leader and protector but
has the second
born trait of holding his position. Much like
Ronald Reagan
who also had an older brother. The #2 has a very
clear picture
of right and wrong and will not change sides to
serve political
ends. Bibi has a vision for Israel that he is going to
defend her
right to survive no matter the cost.
Family and Marriages
Benjamin comes from a
family of all boys. Women are
difficult for him to understand
as he had no sisters.
This is a blind spot for
him but he remains curious. A #2
birth order will be
secretive about his personal life. As
an elevated #1 and in
politics he becomes a very attractive
man to many women. Bibi
has been married three times.
While his first wife was pregnant
he was having an affair
with his future second
wife. With his third wife he had
two sons. During this
marriage he confessed on television to
having an affair with his
public relations adviser when
video tapes were about to
be released. All this passed and he
and repaired his
marriage. After this information emerged
of a 20 year “friendship”
with a married Italian-American
woman. This is defiantly a
reoccurring issue for Bibi.
Political Career
Now that we know his real
birth order let’s see how it relates
to his actions as a
politician. In his first term as Prime Minister
he signed the Wye River
Memorandum with Yasser Arafat in
1998. He emphasized the
“three no’s” No withdrawal from the
Golan Heights, no
discussion of the case of Jerusalem and no
negotiations under any
preconditions. This sounds like a #2
holding his ground. In 2003 he took the job as Finance
Minister only after he was provided
with an unprecedented
level of independence. Second borns
are very good with
money as shown by Bill Gates and
Warren Buffet both #2’s.
He could put to use his management
degree he earned from
MIT and the experience working
with the Boston Consulting
Group where he met his
colleague, Mitt Romney.
Trying to get the economy
back on its feet he succeeded in
passing several
long-unresolved reforms, in the banking
system. He was opposed by
members of both his and the
Labor Party but he stood
his ground. He threatened to resign
in 2004 unless the plan to pull out of Gaza was put
to a
referendum. It was not and he resigned August 7,
2005.
This is the #2 seeing the issue
clearly black and white and
not giving in.
Relationships with Foreign Leaders
Most world leaders are #1
birth orders where their self
image is the most
important thing. Working with
Bibi a #2 looking like a
#1 is like oil and water.
He differed with Hillary
Clinton in 2009 about a
Palestinian state which he would not
endorse, she is
a #1 birth order. His relationship with her
will always
be adversarial. With President Obama he also
differed
who is a One/Only Double birth order.(This happens
when 4yr+ separate siblings.)
Obama demanded that settlements
be stopped in
Jerusalem. The Palestinians rejected the offer as
“insignificant.” Israel then
approved the construction
of an addition of 1600
apartments directly opposing
President Obama. Don’t
tell a #2 what to do! During the
2011 G-20 summit, the
Russian President Sarkozy was
overheard saying to President
Obama, “I cannot bear
Netanyahu, he’s a liar”. Obama
replied, “You’re fed up
with him, but I have to
deal with him every day.” Bibi’s
two birth orders of both
acting like a #1 and responding
like a #2 has these world
leaders frustrated and confused.
The Right Man for the Job
There could not be a
better man for the current job of
protecting Israel from its
neighbors that threaten to
wipe it off the map. Benjamin Netanyahu has the skills
and desire to protect Israel
and its citizens. Having
to take on the role of the
firstborn after his brother’s
death has been a unique
tool to deal with world
leaders. Now you can
understand the man and how
and why he does what he
does. He has said, “Peace
is purchased from
strength. It’s not purchased from
weakness or unilateral
retreats”. His #2 side will not
let him retreat!
Update 12-5-23
Since this blog was published in 2014 Netanyahu now holds the title of the longest serving prime minister in the country’s history. He has served over 16 years. From 1996-1999 then 2009-2021 and now since 2022 is serving his sixth term.
During this time, the Trump Presidency recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and Israel gained sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The Abraham Accords were brokered, normalizing agreements between Israel and some Arab states. In 2019 Netanyahu was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. After a three-year investigation, it is still unresolved.
On October 7th 2023, Palestinian militants from Gaza launched a major surprise attack on Israel. At this time. Israel is in a state of war against Hamas. This has led to an increased dislike of Netanyahu as it is perceived a failure of leadership. There is a call for him to step down after this conflict is resolved. Will this number two birth order leave office or survive to continue to lead Israel?
To find out more about
Birth Order and the unmasking
of the people in your life
read:
Life’s Fingerprint: How Birth Order Affects Your Path
Throughout Life. by Dr. Robert V.V. Hurst
(Also available as a DVD, USB as
Audio Book as
well as hardcover printed book) www.lifesfingerprint.com or www.Mybirthorder.com
