Journalist and Former PM Clash Over Residence Expenses
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Journalist Ayelet Hasson and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett are engaged in a public dispute over expenses related to his official residence. Bennett accused Hasson of lying about renovations, while Hasson presented evidence of conflicting statements from Bennett regarding costs. The controversy stems from Hasson's 2022 investigations into the significant expenses incurred at Bennett's private home, which was converted into an official residence.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Journalist Ayelet Hasson and former PM Naftali Bennett are in a public dispute over residence expenses.
- Bennett accused Hasson of lying about renovations to his Ra'anana home during his premiership.
- Hasson presented evidence of conflicting cost figures provided by Bennett for the residence.
- The dispute reignited after Bennett's recent interview on Channel 13.
- Hasson's 2022 investigations revealed significant expenses for the official residence.
- Bennett previously apologized for expensive food delivery orders and covered personal food costs.
A heated public exchange has erupted between journalist Ayelet Hasson and former Prime Minister and "Bayit Yehudi" party chairman Naftali Bennett, reigniting a dispute over the expenses incurred for his private residence in Ra'anana during his premiership.
The latest confrontation began when Bennett, interviewed on Channel 13's "Moria and Berko," was questioned about the renovations and expenses at his Ra'anana home. Bennett directly attacked Hasson, who originally broke the story, denying he renovated his private property. He claimed only necessary security adjustments were made for a sitting prime minister, calling Hasson "a very big liar."
Hasson responded forcefully, presenting archival footage she claims shows inconsistencies in Bennett's statements. She pointed to a past interview with Dana Weiss where Bennett stated the cost of establishing a study and renovating the house was NIS 160,000, contrasting it with a more recent interview where he cited NIS 70,000. Hasson countered that even a report Bennett referenced indicated NIS 182,000, including furniture, and labeled Bennett a liar who cannot recall his own statements.
Hasson further detailed the events surrounding the Ra'anana residence, refuting Bennett's attempts to label her reporting as fake news. She asserted that Bennett concealed the fact that he turned his private home into an official prime ministerial residence, a move revealed only after High Court petitions and which cost the state tens of millions of shekels for security. Hasson clarified that she never claimed the renovation itself cost millions, but rather presented documents detailing various expenses.
Adding a barbed remark, Hasson alluded to Bennett's past public apology for expensive food delivery orders from "Wolt" and the replacement of his home's air conditioning compressor early in his term. She concluded, "I understand this is a great point of embarrassment for him. Let him campaign on someone else's head, not mine. By the way, his housekeeper often used the word 'renovation' in relation to the work there."
Bennett's office had not yet responded to Hasson's latest statements. This current clash is a continuation of a public and media battle that began in 2022, during Bennett's tenure as prime minister. At that time, Hasson published investigative reports detailing extraordinary monthly expenses for takeout and food deliveries at Bennett's Ra'anana residence, alongside extensive infrastructure and security work that transformed the quiet street into a secured compound, causing significant public outcry and prompting Bennett to cover his family's food expenses personally.
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