Adamant defence of Israel shaped historian Benzion Netanyahu,
1910-2012 Father and son ... Benzion and Benjamin Netanyahu at
the memorial service for the Zionist Ze’ev Jabotinsky. Photo: AP
Benzion Netanyahu was the ardent right-wing father of Israel's
Prime Minister, Benjamin ''Bibi'' Netanyahu, and advocated no
compromise in the struggle with the Palestinians. Despite the
influence he may have had, however, he was a frequent critic of
his son as a politician, telling one interviewer: ''Bibi didn't
succeed in his first term [as prime minister from 1996 to 1999].
He wasn't a very good prime minister.'' Sceptical about the
prospects of peace in the region, Netanyahu once observed: ''The
Jews and the Arabs are like two goats facing each other on a
narrow bridge … The strong goat will make the weaker one jump.''
Politically active into his 90s … Benzion Netanyahu visiting
Israel's President, Shimon Peres, in 2009. Photo: AFP As for
creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel - an idea his son
accepted in 2009