Netanyahu's Residences Security Costs Soar to $33 Million

New figures reveal that state expenditures on security and fortification for the Prime Minister's residences have reached an unprecedented approximately 127.4 million shekels during Benjamin Netanyahu's current term, spanning 2023-2026. These costs cover the official residence on Balfour Street (currently under renovation), the private residence on Gaza Street in Jerusalem designated as an alternative, and the private home in Caesarea.

The spending shows a sharp increase, with 10.8 million shekels in 2023 and 27.8 million in 2024, escalating to a peak of 72.5 million shekels in 2025, plus an additional 16.2 million shekels disbursed by mid-2026. The Prime Minister's Office attributes this surge, beginning in 2024, to a significant reassessment of threats and security risks, necessitating extensive upgrades to fortification measures. This is reportedly linked to regional security escalations and the growing threat from unmanned aerial vehicles, particularly after a drone attack from Lebanon hit Netanyahu's Caesarea home in October 2024.

The Prime Minister's Office emphasized that the budget covers all residences under its purview, including security for former and current prime ministers. These figures have sparked public debate, especially when compared to previous terms. For instance, the total fortification expenses for 2020-2022 were only about 29 million shekels. During Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid's tenure in 2021-2022, reported fortification costs amounted to approximately 22.7 million shekels.

In addition to security costs, separate legal actions have recently revealed ongoing operational expenses for the residences, such as maintenance, utilities, food, and gardening, totaling an additional 2.7 million shekels over the past 18 months. These combined figures highlight a dramatic rise in the costs of maintaining and securing prime ministerial residences during wartime.

The legal battle over the precise allocation of expenses per residence continues. The Deputy President of the Jerusalem District Court, Judge Arnon Darel, has ordered the Prime Minister's Office to provide a detailed breakdown of expenditures between private and public residences, categorized by tenure and government. The next hearing is scheduled for Sunday, where the court is expected to decide whether to release these segmented data to the public, potentially revealing the resources invested in each of the Prime Minister's private properties versus the official residence. In 2023, the Knesset Finance Committee approved Netanyahu's request to budget the alternative residence on Gaza Street and his Caesarea home, with nine members supporting and four opposing.