Court-ordered disclosure details exorbitant cost of Minister Regev’s many trips abroad

Information published by the Transportation Ministry shows Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s frequent trips abroad in recent years have cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars, Channel 12 says.

The information was provided in response to a request by the Movement for Freedom of Information.

In August Regev and her entourage spent some two weeks in the US, a visit that took in both coasts and that her office asserted was intended to advance “strategic” cooperation with American officials. The trip cost some NIS 850,000 ($265,000).

The documents detail Regev’s further trips to Morocco, Cyprus, Germany and Azerbaijan in the past two years, with costs often in the NIS 100,000-150,000 range ($30,000-$45,000) per trip. She has taken at least 12 trips abroad since entering office in January 2023, spending over 80 days out of the country.

Regev has come under criticism for her trips and their exorbitant costs during a time of war and economic hardship.

“Unfortunately, this is the third time we have had to petition the court to have the Transportation Ministry provide basic information about the minister’s trips, instead of such information being accessible and transparent to the public from the outset,” Or Sadan, an attorney from the Movement for Freedom of Information, says.

“Reviewing the data, it is hard not to wonder why the transportation minister who is a security cabinet member needs to spend dozens of days abroad during a time of war, severe economic difficulties, and deadly traffic accidents.”