Golden Bathtubs – What Netanyahu's Residences Cost
Published data on expenses for the prime minister's residences totaling about 2.7 million shekels has sparked sharp criticism. The Movement for Freedom of Information obtained the disclosure of documents showing that between 2025 and the first half of 2026, the state spent approximately 2.71 million shekels on maintaining Benjamin Netanyahu's residences and employee payments. The reports for the first time separately list the private home in Caesarea, the residence in Jerusalem, and the complex on Balfour.
Published data on expenses for the prime minister's residences totaling about 2.7 million shekels has sparked sharp criticism. The Movement for Freedom of Information obtained the disclosure of documents showing that between 2025 and the first half of 2026, the state spent approximately 2.71 million shekels on maintaining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residences and employee payments. As reported by journalist Anna Barsky in Maariv, most of this sum was spent in 2025 (nearly 2 million shekels), while expenses for the first six months of 2026 amounted to over 730,000 shekels. The reports for the first time separately list the private home in Caesarea, the residence in Jerusalem, and the official complex on Balfour Street, which is currently under renovation but continues to generate expenses through auxiliary and service apartments. The published tables detail various categories of property maintenance: food and deliveries (over 165,000 shekels on food in 2025, 34 orders via Wolt for nearly 5,000 shekels), repairs and furnishings (replacement of bathtubs at 13,500–15,000 shekels each), and personal compensation: in the first half of 2026, in the category of labor costs in Caesarea totaling nearly 99,000 shekels, Benjamin Netanyahu himself appears as a supplier. Analysis of the documents revealed a record level of information concealment: in 2025, about 74% of expense lines were fully or partially blacked out, and in the first half of 2026, this figure rose to nearly 82%. The Prime Minister's Office explained the high degree of concealment by stating that some information is still undergoing professional and legal review. This practice has drawn sharp condemnation from the leadership of the Movement for Freedom of Information. The organization's director, attorney Edi Negev, harshly criticized the situation, noting that the authorities once again had to prove citizens' right to information through judicial proceedings, revealing a policy of wastefulness in the use of public funds.