PM’s office requesting Gantz pay back cost of trip to UK and US while he was in war cabinet

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has demanded National Unity chair Benny Gantz return NIS 70,000 ($19,000) to the state treasury to cover a trip to the United States and the United Kingdom he took when he was a minister in the government in March, according to Channel 13 news.

Citing a letter sent to Gantz from the Prime Minister’s Office, Channel 13 reports Netanyahu is demanding the return of the funds because he did not approve the trip.

The report cites government policy that the prime minister must approve ministers’ overseas travels.

In response to the report, Gantz’s office says the trip, when he met senior US officials in Washington including Vice President Kamala Harris, was important to preserving Israel’s security.

“We suggest that the prime minister and his officials work to return the hostages and northern residents home with at least the same determination and obsession as his pursuit of getting back the cost of Gantz’s trip,” the statement says.

The Prime Minister’s Office says: “Before his trip, it was made clear to Gantz and his office that this was a private trip, and the Prime Minister’s Office will not cover the costs. We are now requesting that Gantz return the money for his trip to the state coffers.”

The PMO was said to refuse to help coordinate the then-war cabinet minister’s trip, exposing Gantz to potential legal troubles in the UK, including lawsuits and arrest warrants relating to the war in Gaza, Channel 12 reported at the time.