Netanyahu at 77 becomes Israel's oldest serving prime minister

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marks his 77th birthday today (Wednesday), setting an Israeli record: he is now the oldest person ever to serve as prime minister of the State of Israel. The man who was first elected to the office at 46, making him the youngest prime minister in the country's history, now holds the opposite distinction as well.

Overtaking Shamir and Ben-Gurion

Until this year, Yitzchak Shamir held the age record for a sitting Israeli prime minister. Shamir, who served two separate terms, completed his final term in 1992 at the age of 76.

Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, also remained in office until he was 76, stepping down in 1963. Netanyahu has now passed both men's ages while still in office, and today he celebrates his 77th birthday as serving prime minister.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Natan Kohn)

Thirty years on: Netanyahu heading back to the polls

Netanyahu was first elected prime minister in 1996, when he was just 46 years old. At the time, he was the youngest prime minister in Israeli history, and also the first to be born after the establishment of the state.

Now, thirty years later, Netanyahu is preparing for another election campaign, set to take place in six days' time on October 27. If he succeeds in forming a government and completing a full four-year term, he could still be serving in the role at 81.

As he heads into the coming election, Netanyahu holds two extraordinary records: the youngest person ever to enter the prime minister's office, and the oldest to serve in it.