Israeli PM Residence Renovations Cost Over 100 Million Shekels, Security Expenses Dominate

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office disclosed that renovations at the official residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem will cost 103 million shekels through 2026. Of this total, 67 million shekels are allocated to security expenses, leaving about 36 million shekels for the renovation work itself. The renovation remains incomplete and is expected to finish next year, with final contractor payments still pending. The Balfour residence has not been in use for five years.

This financial disclosure came in response to a freedom of information petition filed by the Givat Mordechai community association to the Jerusalem District Court. The Prime Minister's Office declined to provide a detailed breakdown of the renovation costs beyond confirming the overall budget. It also refused to disclose specific expenses related to the extensive renovations at the Prime Minister's private residence on Gaza Street in Jerusalem or the costs incurred at the Prime Minister's residence in Caesarea following a Hezbollah drone strike during the recent war, citing security confidentiality.

Regarding previous prime ministers' residences, the office reported that renovations and security upgrades at Naftali Bennett's official residence in Ra'anana totaled approximately 71,825 shekels, including plaster repairs, painting, furniture wrapping, and parking area improvements during his 2022 tenure. This figure contradicts claims of multi-million shekel expenditures. For Yair Lapid's residence in Tel Aviv, an acoustic wall around a generator was built for 19,305 shekels in 2022. During Benjamin Netanyahu's 2025 term, minor renovations at the alternate Balfour residence included drywall installation, door fitting, and painting for 6,000 shekels.

The office also addressed costs related to the canceled Prime Minister's Office and residence construction project at the Government Complex (Almog project) and the ongoing new project (Shira project). Between 2015 and 2016, planning and zoning changes cost about 3.1 million shekels, with additional commitments of 37.5 million shekels to the Defense Ministry for design work, though no payments for execution have been made yet.

Despite requests, the Prime Minister's Office withheld detailed cost information for renovations at other official residences, including those on HaPoratzim Street in Jerusalem and in Caesarea, citing security reasons.