Benjamin Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He was born in Tel Aviv in 1949—a year after the formation of the state of Israel—and lived between Israel and America until he was an adult. He joined the Likud party in 1988, later becoming their leader, and went on to win the Israeli National Election in 2009. His leadership has been marred by controversy; he has driven much of Israel’s occupation of Palestine and is currently on trial under corruption charges. He is the longest serving Israeli Prime Minister in history, having now been in power for 21 years.