שערוריית בלפור: מדוע לוקח 5 שנים לשפץ את בית ראש הממשלה ומי מרוויח מזה?

The official residence at Balfour Street in Jerusalem, intended for the Prime Minister, has been undergoing renovations for five years, costing hundreds of millions of shekels, with no end in sight. This has led to it being dubbed a "white elephant." The State Comptroller has called the situation a scandal, but it has not led to any significant changes. Meanwhile, renovations continue on the private homes of the Netanyahu family, funded by the state.

Legal experts and local residents express disbelief at the prolonged renovation period, comparing it to the time it takes to build entire railway lines or upgrade city streets. They suggest that the delays are intentional and may benefit certain parties, possibly the Netanyahu family, who have continued to reside in their private homes, incurring significant state expenses for security and accommodation.

The Balfour residence, a Bauhaus building from the 1930s, was converted into the Prime Minister's residence in the 1970s. By 2018, it was deemed in need of extensive renovation due to its age and deteriorating infrastructure. However, the process has been plagued by delays. Reports suggest that the Netanyahu family conditioned their vacating the residence on renovations being done to their private home in Caesarea, which further delayed the Balfour project and cost the public nearly a million shekels.

During the Bennett-Lapid government, after Netanyahu lost the elections, the Balfour residence was vacated. A new renovation plan was developed, but the government's fall led to the project's freezing. During this period, the state funded security adaptations for Naftali Bennett's private residence in Ra'anana, costing 25 million shekels.

Concerns have been raised about the significant public funds spent on securing and adapting multiple private residences for the Netanyahu family, including properties in Caesarea and Jerusalem, amounting to tens of millions of shekels. Some sources suggest that figures like 50 million shekels were leaked by Netanyahu's office to discredit Bennett and justify future high expenses for their own accommodations.

Following the October 7th attacks, it was revealed that the residence on Gaza Street in Jerusalem was not adequately protected against rocket threats, forcing the Netanyahus to relocate. The state continues to fund security and accommodation in various locations, including a secret apartment complex in Jerusalem where four units are used by the family and their security detail.

The State Comptroller's April 2024 report highlighted the systemic failures, questioning the continued expenditure on private residences while the Gaza Street home remained unsuited for wartime threats. The Comptroller recommended acquiring a permanent, state-owned alternative residence, a recommendation yet to be implemented.

Allegations of deliberate interference in security upgrade works at the Caesarea villa have also surfaced, with claims that inflated sums were requested for non-essential work. The Prime Minister's Office has denied these allegations, attributing delays to the pandemic, war, security assessments, and preservation guidelines, and stating that the Prime Minister has no involvement in the Balfour project, which is managed by the Ministry of Defense.