Jerusalem – Forget King Bibi. From now on, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be known as the Gordie Howe of Israeli politics.
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Howe was the legendary hockey player who played 32 consecutive years, beginning in 1946. Netanyahu is the prime minister who as of Tuesday will have spent 2,793 days – or seven years and 236 days – as premier, surpassing David Ben-Gurion’s record for the longest consecutive term.
Netanyahu took over for his second run as prime minister on March 31, 2009. Ben-Gurion’s longest consecutive streak was his second term in office as well, from November 3, 1955, to June 26, 1963.
Though Netanyahu has surpassed Ben-Gurion’s consecutive record, the country’s first premier still holds the record as the longest- serving prime minister, since his first term in office lasted some 5½ years, from May 1948 to January 1954.
But that record, too, is well within the reach of the 67-year-old Netanyahu, who can surpass that mark if he remains prime minister until July 19, 2019. Netanyahu’s first term from 1996-1999 lasted just over three years.
Though 2,793 straight days – and counting – as the country’s leader might seem like a long time, it’s nothing compared to some other leaders around the free world.
For instance, German Chancellor Andrea Merkel, who only Sunday announced that she would run for a fourth term, has been in office since November 22, 2005, a full 4,018 days.
And, according to an Israeli Democracy Institute table released on Monday, Margaret Thatcher served as Britain’s premier for 4,226 days from 1979-1990; Francois Mitterrand spent a whopping 5,109 straight days as France’s president from 1981-1995; and Sweden’s former prime minister Tage Erlander holds the record among established democracies, serving for no less than 8,404 days from 1946-1969.
Who knows, Netanyahu might also have that record in mind, because – as he said at Monday’s Likud faction meeting in the Knesset – he has no intention of going anywhere.
Referring to the controversy surrounding his decision to purchase three additional German submarines, Netanyahu advised those “in a hurry” to topple him over the matter to shift gears.
“You can relax,” he said to the applause of those in the room. “I am going to be with you still for a long time.”