Israel’s parliament on Sunday swore in Naftali Bennett as the country’s new Prime Minister.
Bennett signalled the end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year grip on the country.
While Israel welcomes its new prime minister, here are 10 things you ought to know about Bennett:
1. Bennett was born in 1972 to American parents.
2. He grew up in Haifa, and studied at the ‘Yavneh’ Yeshiva High School in Haifa.
3. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
4. In 1999 Bennett co-founded the high-tech company Cyota, which specializes in online information security. The company employs some 400 workers, and in 2005 it was sold to an American company for $145 million.
5. Bennett also served as the CEO of Soluto, which was sold for some $100 million.
6. In the army, Major (res.) Bennett served in Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) and as a squad commander and company commander in the Maglan unit. Bennett performs his reserve duty in Sayeret Matkal.
7. In 2005 Bennett was appointed the chief of staff of then-Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu. In this capacity, he helped formulate Netanyahu’s education reform plan.
8. Bennett also ran Netanyahu’s campaign ahead of the primary elections for the leadership of Likud, which Netanyahu won.
9. In 2009, Bennett was appointed director general of the Yesha Council and led the fight to cancel the construction freeze in Judea and Samaria and to reinforce the settlement enterprise.
10. Bennett, along with Ayelet Shaked, founded the My Israel movement, which fought delegitimaization of Israel, post-Zionist organizations and boycotts of Israel. For its activity, the movement won the 2012 Media Criticism Award.