Thirty years of Netanyahu: The man who shaped modern Israel

A career built on fear, force and survival reshaped a state’s identity – and left its legitimacy more fragile than ever

Thirty years ago, on June 18, 1996, Benjamin Netanyahu became prime minister of Israel for the first time. His victory in the May 29, 1996 election was a moment of profound political reorientation for the Israeli state.

Against the backdrop of Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination, the crisis of the Oslo peace process, a series of terrorist attacks, and a growing public sense of fear, Netanyahu offered Israeli society a new formula of power, one in which security became more important than compromise, force more important than trust, and the Palestinian question was increasingly treated not as a political problem between two peoples, but as a permanent threat to be controlled and contained.

He became Israel’s first prime minister elected by direct vote and the youngest head of government in the country’s history at 46. His rise to power marked the beginning of a long era in which Israeli politics gradually shifted to the right, while the idea of an Israeli-Palestinian settlement was increasingly displaced by the push for a military solution.

Like father, like son

Yet the political figure of Netanyahu did not emerge in 1996. His worldview had been shaped much earlier, within a family in which Jewish history, fear of external threats, Revisionist Zionism, and the cult of strength formed part of the everyday intellectual atmosphere. His paternal grandfather, Nathan Mileikowsky, was born in 1879 in the town of Kreva, in the Vilna Governorate of the Russian Empire, in present-day Belarus.

This region was part of the Pale of Settlement, where a significant share of Eastern European Jews lived. Mileikowsky became a rabbi, publicist, Zionist activist, and one of those Eastern European Jewish figures who linked the future of the Jewish people not to integration into European societies, but to the creation of a national home in Palestine. It was he who used the name Netanyahu as a literary and political pseudonym, which later became the family surname.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Eastern European Jews lived under conditions of discrimination, restrictions, fear of pogroms, and a search for a way out of historical vulnerability. For people of Mileikowsky’s generation, Zionism was a response to the feeling that without political power of their own, the Jewish people would remain an object of other people’s will. It was within this tradition that politics came to be understood as a struggle for survival. Compromise was seen not as a universal value, but as an acceptable instrument only when it did not undermine national security or call into question the right of Jews to independent power.

An even more direct influence on Benjamin Netanyahu was his father, Benzion Netanyahu. He was born in 1910 in Warsaw, then part of the Russian Empire, under the name Benzion Mileikowsky. In 1920, the family moved to Mandatory Palestine, then a British-administrated territory, and the surname Netanyahu became firmly established for this branch of the family. Benzion became a historian, a scholar of the history of Spanish Jewry, worked in academia, including in the United States, and at the same time remained a committed supporter of Revisionist Zionism. In an obituary for Benzion Netanyahu, the Cornell Chronicle noted that he had been born in Warsaw, moved with his family to Palestine in 1920, and that his father Nathan changed the family name to Netanyahu, meaning “given by God.”

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https://www.rt.com/news/642315-netanyahu-israel-30-years/

Are The Epstein Survivors Being Exploited Yet Again?

On February 8, 2026, the advocacy group World Without Exploitation launched a 40-second public service announcement during the Super Bowl featuring Jeffrey Epstein survivors demanding the full release of federal files related to Epstein's sex trafficking network.

The Epstein survivors held up pictures of themselves when they were initially abused by Epstein as minors or young women. "After years of being kept apart, we're standing together," they said.

The background was pitch black, and the music was haunting.

The PSA ended with the following: "Stand With Us. Tell Attorney General Pam Bondi IT'S TIME FOR THE TRUTH."

As a longtime advocate for justice in the Epstein case, the PSA felt like a supernova. I felt an eruption of gratitude. But as my elation faded, I wondered how World Without Exploitation could afford the PSA.

The co-founders of World Without Exploitation, Lauren Hersh and Rachel Foster, have certainly generated remarkable fanfare. In fact, they've even been hailed as two of Time magazine's most influential 100 people of 2026.

I'm the director of Epstein Justice, a 501(c)(3), and our raison d'être is an independent congressional commission to investigate the Epstein case. Like many nonprofits, we struggle to find funders. So, I've marveled at the success of World Without Exploitation, which was founded in 2016. By 2019, the Atlanta Jewish Times reports, World Without Exploitation was the "umbrella group of 140 organizations." The landing page of its website states: "Our 175+ member groups are working to end exploitation."

But I started to hear whispers about World Without Exploitation that were less than stellar. Let's dive in.

The Strange Case of World Without Exploitation Co-Founder Lauren Hersh

On paper, Hersh would appear to have impeccable credentials to be the director of an organization dedicated to ending exploitation. She joined the Brooklyn (King's County) District Attorney's office in 2004 after graduating from Brooklyn Law School, then transitioned to the domestic violence bureau before joining the rackets division, where she ultimately became "chief" of the Brooklyn District Attorney's Sex Trafficking Unit. Yet Hersh's last case as a Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney would be marred by apparent prosecutorial misconduct. The case involved the alleged trafficking and rape of a young woman by four men.

The Backstory of Hersh's Resignation from the Brooklyn DA's Office

On March 31, 2010, a 22-year-old Brooklyn woman told NYPD officers that Damien Crooks took her to a party, where she was raped and beaten. She said that she managed to escape her abusers and phoned her best friend. Her friend took her to the police, and she was then sent to the hospital. A June 2, 2012, New York Times article reports that at 6:30 AM the following morning, the young woman talked to an NYPD detective and filed a formal statement, discussing rapes, beatings, and Crooks pimping her out. She said she was "afraid for her life."

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/are-epstein-survivors-being-exploited-yet-again

Sadiq Khan Said There Were No Grooming Gangs In London; Police Investigating 4,000 Cases

The London mayor who once insisted there was "no indication" of grooming gangs now faces explosive new scrutiny after a police review uncovered thousands of previously sidelined child sexual exploitation files.

The Metropolitan Police has identified more than 4,000 potential child sexual exploitation cases across London that may require reopening.

These stem from roughly 12,000 reports dating back to 2010, with about one in three previously closed after police or prosecutors took no further action.

Met Police uncovers 4,000 potential grooming gang cases as Sadiq Khan faces fresh scrutiny over London claimshttps://t.co/c2Wpx1MwOL

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/sadiq-khan-said-there-were-no-grooming-gangs-london-police-investigating-4000-cases

Saudi Aramco Helicopter Crash Kills 14 In Ras Tanura , Cause Unknown

One week after a mysterious explosion - attributed to a "technical incident" - at Qatar's massive Ras Laffan industrial city killed dozens and set back restoration and recovery efforts at the giant LNG production facility by weeks if not months, a helicopter belonging to Saudi ​oil giant Aramco crashed on Sunday ‌in Ras Tanura on Saudi Arabia's eastern coast on the Gulf, west of the Strait of ​Hormuz, killing 14 nationals, the state ​news agency reported, adding that the ⁠cause was unknown.

Aramco had resumed crude oil loadings ​on Friday at its Ras Tanura terminal ​in the Gulf after they were halted for nearly four months.

"The relevant authorities have launched a ​full investigation to determine the cause ​of the crash," the state news agency added.

Aramco did ‌not ⁠respond immediately to an emailed request for comment.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/saudi-aramco-helicopter-crash-kills-14-ras-tanura-cause

Skydiving Plane Crashes in France, Killing All 11 People on Board

A skydiving plane crashed in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board, the region’s prefect said.

The plane crashed near the city of Nancy at 11 a.m., Yves Séguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, told reporters near the scene of the crash.

It fell “suddenly, in the immediate vicinity of the airfield,” Séguy said, adding that nobody on the ground was hurt.

Emergency services responded immediately and were providing psychological support to several relatives of the victims, he said.

Authorities were also collecting witness statements, he said.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/06/28/skydiving-plane-crashes-in-france-killing-all-11-people-on-board/

Israel sold advanced F-15 systems and gear to Qatar and Saudi Arabia – report

Three Qatari royal jets said to have Elbit air defenses, including one that flew the emir to Iran last year; both Doha and Riyadh received advanced pilot helmets, night goggles

Advanced Israeli weapons systems, including air defense systems and computerized battle helmets for F-15 jets, have been sold to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according to a Sunday report.

Out of the Qatari royal family’s 11 planes, three have Elbit’s C-MUSIC air defense system, which was installed between 2020 and 2022 while the planes were undergoing maintenance in Basel, the Haaretz news site reported, citing an analysis of publicly available photos.

The report noted that when Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani traveled to Tehran last year — the capital of Israel’s archnemesis Iran — he did so while his plane was equipped with the Elbit air defense system.

Using a sophisticated radar system, C-MUSIC tracks incoming MANPADs (shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles) and deflects them using a very powerful laser beam. The system can be installed in various parts of the plane, and is easy to operate, with no special training needed.

It also operates on the aircraft of Israel’s prime minister, Wings of Zion, as well as the French presidential plane, among others.

The report said that the contract for the 2017 US-Qatar deal to sell F-15QA Ababil warplanes to Qatar shows that Israeli firms won tenders for $150-250 million subcontracts to supply advanced parts and systems for the jets, including 160 JHMCS helmets worth some $200,000 each, and AN/AVS-9 night-vision glasses.

The report also cited a US Defense Department statement from 2010 as showing that, as part of a Boeing contract to sell F-15SA jets to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh received 462 JHMCS helmets and 462 night vision glasses of the same models sold to Qatar.

It said online footage shows the helmets are in use.

The advanced head gear shows flight data on the visor, giving the pilot the ability to zone in and fire at a target.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar both have no diplomatic relations or open defense ties with Israel.

However, in the years and months leading up to the October 7, 2023,Hamas-led massacre, it was widely reported that Riyadh was considering normalization with Israel, along the lines of the US-brokered Abraham Accords with other Arab states.

Despite efforts to keep the vision afloat, normalization does not appear imminent, with Israeli and Saudi leaders both signaling it is not currently on the table.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-sold-advanced-f-15-systems-and-gear-to-qatar-and-saudi-arabia-report/

Mexico Delays Mandatory Digital ID Scheme Registration To Cell Phones By End Of 2026 After Poor Uptick

One woman responded, “They say it’s for security, but security for who? I mean, we’re always vulnerable. Our data is exposed everywhere.”

Mexicans have been asked to register with biometric citizen identifier, Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP).

From a press release statement from the Government of Mexico:

For everyone’s safety, each telephone number must be in the name of a person, in order to eliminate the anonymity that has allowed crime to commit crimes such as fraud or extortion. With this measure, Mexico will no longer be one of the few countries that allowed the acquisition of a chip without identification, and joins this international practice in force in 166 countries.

This Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) reports that the linking of lines has had sustained and growing progress, and to date 63 million lines are already linked: 40.2 million prepaid and 22.8 million postpaid that do not require a new procedure for be associated with a person from their hiring.

Prepaid lines that have not been linked so far will have a deadline assigned according to the last digit of the phone number. Thus, a calendar is established so that, between August and December, each user links their line to their telephone company, in the following order:

Once the period corresponding to each digit has expired, the telephone companies will suspend the service of those lines that have not been linked in the next 72 hours, and will only be able to make calls to emergency numbers, citizen service numbers and their telephone company, as well as how to receive alerts in case of earthquake. Once the line is linked, the phone company will restore all services (calls, messages and mobile data).

It is reiterated that the process is not carried out by the government, but is carried out directly before the telephone companies, which only associate the user’s name and CURP with the cell phone number, eliminating any other data or image used during the linking process.

In the event that a crime is committed that involves the use of a line, the competent authorities may request information from telephone companies, complying with the provisions provided for in the National Code of Criminal Procedures.

Simply put: Mexicans have not rushed out in compliance.

Azteca Noticias reported one month ago: “Out of the 158 million active cell phone lines, only 49.5 million have been registered with the CURP, that is, just 31%. One month before the deadline expires, millions of Mexicans refuse to hand over their personal data.”

https://thewinepress.substack.com/p/mexico-delays-mandatory-digital-id

Massie notes Republicans hold all major power centers.

They still push election fraud narrative after winning.

He lists government stakes in private firms.

Intel gets 10 percent ownership.

MP Materials 15 percent.

Lithium Americas 5 percent.

Trilogy Metals 10 percent.

US Steel gets golden share.

Republicans criticize Democrats for socialism but stay quiet on these deals.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2070542769429393789

Tehran's Prosecutor has officially filed Criminal Charges against Reza Pahlavi for inciting Riots in the country

Under Iran's Criminal Code, inciting riots is Punishable by Death

https://x.com/IranObserver0/status/2070946220986560800

#ShireenAbuAklek

#Israel An israeli sniper shot her in the face, killing her instantly. Then the IDF stormed the hospital where her body was being carried out by pallbearers and they proceeded to beat them.

She was American/Palestinian

Zero outrage from American politicians.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2070950222545436935

Ashkelon Hacker’ Faces Up to 35 Years in Prison in U.S. Court

Michael Ron David Kadar, a dual Israeli-American citizen previously known as the “Ashkelon Hacker,” appeared in an Orlando federal courtroom this week to face sentencing proceedings for a massive wave of bomb threats that paralyzed communities across the United States in 2017. Prosecutors are seeking a significant prison term for the defendant, who was convicted of orchestrating thousands of hoax threats against Jewish community centers, schools, and airlines, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Charges and Legal Context

Kadar, who was a teenager at the time of the offenses, pleaded guilty to multiple counts, including hate crimes, communicating bomb threats, and cyberstalking. According to court filings from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, Kadar utilized sophisticated technology to mask his location and voice, allowing him to issue more than 2,000 threats against institutions in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia.

The threats specifically targeted Jewish Community Centers (JCCs), causing widespread evacuations and significant financial disruption. Federal prosecutors have emphasized the “terrorizing” nature of these actions, which led to the deployment of emergency services across multiple states.

Why the Case Matters

The sentencing of Kadar serves as a landmark case for international cybercrime jurisdiction. Because the defendant operated from Israel while targeting victims in the United States, the case required extensive cooperation between the FBI and the Israel Police.

Legal experts point to this case as a precedent for how the U.S. government handles extraterritorial digital crimes. Unlike traditional cyber-fraud cases, the Department of Justice pursued these actions as hate crimes, arguing that the deliberate targeting of Jewish institutions was intended to intimidate a specific religious community.

https://www.archynewsy.com/ashkelon-hacker-faces-up-to-35-years-in-prison-in-u-s-court/

Parents go nuclear on school district for forcing LGBTQ on their kids, seek punitive damages

Silicon Valley school district knew Supreme Court requires parental notice and opt-out for materials that undermine parents' religious instruction, and went through months of talks before it "abruptly flipped," suit says.

One of the major hubs of Silicon Valley is knowingly violating a year-old Supreme Court precedent requiring school districts to notify parents before they expose students to "LGBTQ+-inclusive" materials, from health to math class, and let them opt out, according to a new lawsuit by the religious liberty firm who secured the precedent.

Sunnyvale School District held multiple meetings about the high court's ruling last year in Mahmoud v. Taylor and recognized its legal obligations, as elaborated by the California Department of Education, while pledging it would seek to persuade parents to let their children experience materials such as a how-to book on becoming a drag queen, Becket's lawsuit on behalf of Justin and Rose Taylor says.

But after "months of cordial conversation" with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints members Justin and Rose Taylor about opting out their two children under age 10, the district "abruptly flipped" its reading of Mahmoud, telling the Taylors it only applies to the "specific set of facts" SCOTUS considered and that state law supersedes the precedent, according to Becket.

"Sunnyvale has now affirmatively disclaimed its constitutional responsibility" to give parents notice and opt-out from instruction that "substantially interferes with the religious development of their children," the suit says, quoting the June 2025 SCOTUS ruling.

It includes more than 100 pages of exhibits, including pages from the books shown to students, the Taylors' correspondence with Cumberland Elementary Principal Shana Riehl and District Director of Student Support Services Paul Slayton from September through January, and Slayton's surprise rejection letter Feb. 2 with the district's bespoke interpretation of Mahmoud.

“The Constitution doesn’t come with a California carveout," yet the district is trying to "override the Taylors’ clearly protected parental rights while paying lip service to the very diversity the Taylors represent," Becket counsel Michael O’Brien said.

A Becket spokesperson told Just the News it will seek personal liability for individual defendants – Riehl, Slayton, Superintendent Gudiel Crosthwaite and all school board members – for violating "clearly established" law, the threshold for revoking the qualified immunity of public officials. It plans to file a motion for preliminary injunction "in the coming days."

The district didn't respond to Just the News queries.

Drag queen lessons from 'Lil Miss Hot Mess'

The lawsuit elaborates on the exact LGBTQ materials Sunnyvale uses, some of which it shares with the district that lost Mahmoud, Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools, reportedly the most religiously diverse county in America.

They include Pride Puppy, which celebrates Pride Parade fixtures including the pioneering transgender prostitute Marsha Johnson, and Prince & Knight, about a fairy-tale same-sex wedding.

The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish invites children to dance like a drag queen to the melody of "The Wheels on the Bus." Its author, Harris Kornstein, said the book grew out of his Drag Queen Story Hour work as "Lil Miss Hot Mess," and he hopes it will inspire children to become drag queens "when they grow up."

The most destabilizing book for children may be Jack (Not Jackie), whose protagonist decides she is a boy because she enjoys boys' toys, clothes and activities, and whose sister gradually overcomes her resistance to "Jack" identifying as a boy.

Home to headquarters for Yahoo and LinkedIn, and satellite campuses for Google, Amazon and Meta, Sunnyvale isn't alone in allegedly seeking a way around the precedent obtained by Becket on behalf of Muslim, Christian and Jewish parents against Maryland's MCPS, for which it paid them $1.5 million.

https://justthenews.com/nation/religion/parents-go-nuclear-school-district-forcing-lgbtq-their-kids-seek-punitive-damages

"America depends on Israel to defend itself!"

Melanie Phillips ties herself into knots trying to insist that America isn't fighting Iran for Israel.

Remarkable mental gymnastics on display here.

https://x.com/infolibnews/status/2071082763088703952

Israel praises Slovenia for moving embassy to Jerusalem, revoking Palestinian State recognition

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa has visited Israel on numerous occasions, including in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 massacre.

The new Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Jansa, plans to repair ties between Ljubljana and Jerusalem and relocate the Slovenian embassy from Tel Aviv to the capital of Israel.

Jansa revealed this in an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom over the weekend.

He also promised to reverse the previous government’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state, something Jansa said is in violation of Slovenian law.

“We will uphold the law and freeze their illegal decision,” he told Israel Hayom. “We raised this as a condition for our participation in the coalition negotiations, and everyone agreed.”

'Terrorism, extremism, and growing political pressures'

Jansa has visited Israel on numerous occasions, including in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 massacre.

He said Israel and Slovenia share “many of the same challenges,” including “terrorism, extremism, the erosion of national identity, and growing geopolitical pressures.”

“Instead of distancing themselves from one another, they must increase cooperation. Israel is not Europe’s problem; it is one of its most important allies.”

Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen congratulated Jansa on the “right and important decision to revoke Slovenia’s recognition of a Palestinian state and to move Slovenia’s embassy to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel.”

“This is a step that reflects true friendship and standing on the right side of history,” he said.

A 'true friend of Israel'

Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli called Jansa a “true friend of Israel.” He also noted that the relocation of the embassy to Jerusalem would make Slovenia the first country in the European Union to do so.

Soon after being reelected, Slovenia’s new government revoked a 2025 decision banning the export and transit of weapons and military equipment to Israel, as well as most arms imports from the Jewish state.

The government said the ban, introduced in July, was no longer necessary, as the arms trade is already governed by national law and European Union rules.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-900746

According to Col. Douglas MacIntre's "The Coming Famine: Engineered Starvation and the Price of Empire,"

the evidence is undeniable. We are witnessing the deliberate construction of a global famine that will dwarf

any natural disaster in human history.

The Coming Famine: How war and empire are starving the world

https://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=328434

>>24768610

>Communism is the Greatest Threat to our Country since World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or 9/11! President DONALD J. TRUMP

so why does your government look like a communist dictatorship?