Newly released government records have revealed the operating expenses for Israel’s prime ministerial residences during 2025 and the first half of 2026, detailing spending on food, maintenance, gardening, renovations, utility bills, and even food delivery services. The Prime Minister’s Office, however, insists the overall costs remain significantly lower than those incurred under previous prime ministers.

The figures, published Tuesday by Israel’s Movement for Freedom of Information, were obtained from the Prime Minister’s Office. According to the documents, total expenditures for the prime minister’s residences reached ₪1,979,517 in 2025. During the first six months of 2026, spending totaled ₪731,081.

The organization noted that, for the first time, this year’s records classify the Prime Minister’s private residence on Gaza Street alongside other private residences, in addition to the Netanyahu family’s home in Caesarea. The official Prime Minister’s Residence on Balfour Street, which is currently undergoing renovations, is now listed in the records as “support apartments.”

The 2025 spending breakdown shows ₪165,444 was spent on food and groceries, while ₪94,957 went toward landscaping work at the Caesarea residence. Another ₪2,700 was spent on Wolt food deliveries during August 2025, and ₪10,590 covered preventative work to address tree roots that had penetrated beneath the Caesarea property. The documents also include a redacted expenditure totaling ₪63,033, with no information provided regarding the vendor or the purpose of the payment.

During the first half of 2026, the records show ₪53,584 was spent on food, ₪14,986 on replacing a bathtub at the private Gaza Street residence, ₪31,509 on electricity bills, ₪42,698 on maintenance and upkeep, and ₪4,657 on replacing thermostats at the Caesarea residence.

Attorney Hidi Negev, CEO of the Movement for Freedom of Information, criticized the spending and the government’s handling of the records.

“Once again, we were forced to petition the court in order to expose information about the expenses of the Prime Minister’s residences, and once again a wasteful policy in the use of public funds at the Prime Minister’s residences has been revealed. At a time when the public is bearing a heavy economic burden and dealing with the consequences of the war, it is especially important to act responsibly and with full transparency regarding public expenditures,” Negev said.

The Prime Minister’s Office rejected the criticism, arguing that the published figures demonstrate that expenses during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure are substantially lower than those recorded under previous administrations.

“The data published as part of the response show that the overall expenses for the residences during Prime Minister Netanyahu’s tenure are significantly lower than during the terms of previous prime ministers. For example, during former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s tenure, current operating expenses totaled ₪1,370,362 (excluding personnel and security costs), while during the comparable period under Prime Minister Netanyahu, those expenses amounted to just ₪465,319 (excluding personnel and security costs) — less than one-third of the spending during Bennett’s term,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

{Matzav.com}