Foreign Ministry said looking to buy $12.5 million home for ambassadors to US
Ministry has its eye on property with seven bedrooms, wine cellar and pool; reportedly hopes funds will be approved this week
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The Foreign Ministry is reportedly pressing to purchase a $12.5 million home to serve as the official residence of the ambassador in Washington, DC.
The ministry is seeking additional funding and looking to move ahead with the purchase as soon as this week, the Haaretz daily reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the details.
The property it would like to purchase is a seven-bedroom home with a swimming pool and wine cellar, the report said.
The current ambassador, Mike Herzog, lives in a rented apartment at a cost of $25,000 per month, the report said.
The owner of that house has requested the ambassador terminate the contract because he intends to sell the property, according to a draft ministry decision obtained by Haaretz.
The state owns a property in Washington that housed previous ambassadors, but it fell into disrepair after former ambassador Ron Dermer took up his post and did not use it.
Dermer, who is Orthodox, moved into a rented home that was closer to an Orthodox synagogue and school.
Plans to build a new home on the property ran into bureaucratic hurdles, the report said. Furthermore, the ministry said it found it difficult to locate a new long-term rental that suited its needs.
“The Israeli embassy in the United States is the flagship embassy of the State of Israel, and is located in the capital of its largest and most important strategic ally,” the Foreign Ministry document read.
The ministry said the demand for funds was justified by the importance of the ambassador’s residence as a meeting point for senior officials and official events.
The Times of Israel Community.