Benjamin Netanyahu will make history Saturday when he surpasses Israel’s founding father David Ben-Gurion as the country’s longest-serving prime minister.
The 69-year-old Netanyahu will have been prime minister for a total of 4,876 days — after serving from June 18, 1996, to July 6, 1999, and again since March 31, 2009, according to the Times of Israel.
Ben-Gurion led the Jewish state for a total of 4,875 days — some 13½ years — from May 14, 1948, to Jan. 26, 1954, and again from Nov. 3, 1955, to June 26, 1963.
“Who’s counting?” Bibi said flippantly when asked about the milestone during a conference hosted by the pro-Netanyahu Israel Hayom newspaper and attended by US envoys, according to Reuters.
“We’ve proven that Israel can be turned from a small country that is situated in the corner of the Middle East into a major power in the world,” he told the paper.
But despite the longevity, the conservative leader has faced a series of legal and political setbacks of late.
In April, his apparent victory in the elections hit a wall after he failed to form a coalition government and opted to move toward do-over elections on Sept. 17.
He also faces allegations that he manipulated the press through shady deals and accepted lavish gifts from his billionaire friends.
Israel’s attorney general announced in February that Netanyahu would be indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust pending a hearing in which he will be allowed to present any exculpatory evidence.
Netanyahu has denied all charges — accusing police, prosecutors and the media of orchestrating a political witch hunt to remove him from office — and remains admired by his populist base.
No law prevents him from serving while under indictment or on trial.
Bibi also has scored a series of diplomatic achievements with the help of President Trump — the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.
Mindful of his legacy, Bibi has compared himself to Ben-Gurion, who led the Mapai party that declared Israel’s independence in 1948 and lived a spartan lifestyle.
Comparing the two leaders is tough, though, because of their starkly different eras and Ben-Gurion’s heroic stature, said Shmuel Sandler, a political science professor emeritus at Bar-Ilan University.
“A founding father is always beyond reproach,” he told AFP.
With Post wires