Netanyahu, Bennett, Lapid: The funds allocated to the Prime Minister's residences in recent years

• Published date: 06 April 2024
• Author: MOSHE COHEN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The report claims that the Prime Minister's Office has spent approximately 56 million shekels over the past few years on the construction and protection of private residences for the past three prime ministers

The findings from the report indicate Benjamin Netanyahu spent 27 million shekels, Naftali Bennett 25 million shekels, and Yair Lapid 4 million shekels.

The State Comptroller criticized the management of the Prime Minister's Residence stating that "There is no way to explain how the Startup Nation fails to establish a residence for an entire decade."

The comptroller added that they " did not receive an explanation for why millions are spent on securing Netanyahu's private residences.

The [spendings] of the Prime Minister's Residences reflect [economic] inefficiency and public money wastage.

PM Residence spending reflects "public money wastage"

This is an outrageous management," asserts State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman in a special audit report on the Prime Minister's Residences.

"Even during times of war, I did not receive an explanation for why millions more shekels are being spent on securing the Prime Minister's private residences. This is while the official residence on Balfour Street is not adequately prepared for wartime threats, and during the first weeks of the conflict, the Prime Minister did not reside there."

Englman warned against the construction of private properties, leading to an undesirable mix of private and public interests. "

The Prime Minister's Office did not provide an explanation for why, instead of spending tens of millions of shekels on renovating private residences, they didn't purchase an alternative apartment in Jerusalem, owned by the state and funded by public funds, available to all future Prime Ministers," emphasized the report.

State Comptroller Englman concluded that the current situation cannot continue and demanded that efficiency and savings principles be central in future decision-making processes.

The comptroller further asserts that between June 2018 and January 2019, the Prime Minister's Office was delayed in planning regarding the extent of public funding allocated for works to be carried out at the private residence in Caesarea, due to difficulty in distinguishing between maintenance...