Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was once again featured on Time magazine´s annual list of the world´s most influential people, along with a host of other prominent political and cultural figures.

In a column written for the magazine, Jewish Republican Congressman and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor praised Netanyahu for his "transformational" leadership. "Benjamin Netanyahu is one of these iconic Israelis, a strong, determined leader who has excelled during a lifetime of service to the state of Israel," wrote Cantor.

"He deserves credit for drawing attention to the threat Iran poses to Israel, to America, to the region, to its own people and to the free world… At this perilous moment, Prime Minister Netanyahu is the right leader for Israel — and the right partner for America," Cantor concludes.

Netanyahu also made the list in 2011, but the column written in his honor then was less effusive. "I´ve known Bibi for decades. We have clashed, and we have agreed," wrote Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haas. "

"Like almost everyone else, I find him hard to read. He is on record supporting a demilitarized Palestinian state. But few details have been filled in. We will soon learn more. Nothing less than his legacy — and more important, the future of the Jewish state — is at stake," he wrote.

Many of those who were featured in Time magazine´s list of "The 100 most influential people in the world" in 2011 did not make it onto the list this year.

Wael Ghonim, the Google executive turned Tahrir Square icon, was not there, nor were Facebook´s Mark Zuckerberg, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden or First Lady Michelle Obama.

While British Prime Minister David Cameron did not make the list this year, both Middleton sisters, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Pippa did, for being fashion "avatars of aspiration."

None of Russia´s leaders made the list this year, but corruption- fighting Russian opposition blogger Alexei Navalny did.

U.S. President Barack Obama was on the list, and also penned a column about Warren Buffet, the billionaire investor who is one of the anchors of the Obama administration´s initiative to promote fair taxation of rich Americans. (© Copyright 2012 Ha´aretz 04/19/12)