Freedom of Information Movement Reveals Lavish Spending on Israeli Prime Minister's Residences

The Freedom of Information Movement has disclosed the expenses for the Israeli Prime Minister's residences for 2025 and the first half of 2026. This is the first time that private residences, including a home on Gaza Street and others, have been classified under the official residences category, alongside the additional residence in Caesarea. The official Balfour residence is currently under renovation and thus categorized as supported apartments.

In 2025, total spending on the residences amounted to 1,979,517 shekels, including 165,444 shekels for food, 94,957 shekels for gardening in Caesarea, 2,700 shekels for food delivery via Wolt in August alone, and 10,590 shekels for preventive treatment of roots penetrating under the Caesarea home. Notably, 63,033 shekels were blacked out with no details provided regarding the supplier or the nature of the expense.

For the first half of 2026, expenses totaled 731,081 shekels, with 53,584 shekels spent on food, 14,986 shekels for replacing a bathtub in the private Gaza Street residence, 31,509 shekels paid to the electric company, 42,698 shekels for maintenance and upkeep products, and 4,657 shekels for thermostat replacements in the Caesarea residence.

Attorney Hidi Negev, CEO of the Freedom of Information Movement, criticized the spending as "lavish use of public funds," emphasizing the need for full transparency, especially during times of economic hardship and the ongoing war. Negev called for proactive and regular publication of such expenses to ensure public oversight and accountability, rather than relying on court petitions to obtain this information.