First, let’s do the numbers:
Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion (a.k.a. BG), served 2,084 in his first term in office (May 14, 1948 – January 26, 1954), and 2,793 days (November 3, 1955 – June 26, 1963) in his second term, bringing his total time in power to 4,877 days.
Israel’s 13th and 17th Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (a.k.a. Bibi), served 1,114 days in his first term (June 18, 1996 – July 6, 1999), and 3,763 days in his current term, which began March 31, 2009 – also a total of 4,877 days as of today, Friday, July 19, 2019.
Netanyahu has been elected Prime Minister of Israel four times, matching David Ben-Gurion for most terms as premier, and he is the only prime minister in Israel’s history to have been elected three times in a row. He also holds the record for the longest consecutive time in office.
One of the connecting points between BG and BB was the late Shimon Peres, who was considered Ben Gurion’s ultimate protégé and lost an election to Netanyahu in 1996.
Ben-Gurion was 62 when he first took office. Netanyahu was 47. BG was 77 when he left office. Bibi will turn 70 in October.
Finally, Ben-Gurion’s home away from his official residence was in a shack in Kibbutz Sde-Boker in the Negev.Netanyahu’s home away from home is a $1 million Villa in Caesarea. And while Netanyahu’s personal wealth is estimated at 35 million shekel (about $10 million) we have not managed to find online a mention, never mind estimate, of Ben-Gurion’s personal wealth.
