Netanyahu 'freezes' ice cream budget

Prime minister calls special contract ‘excessive and unacceptable’

JERUSALEM (AP) — Following an Israeli newspaper’s scoop, the country’s prime minister has “frozen” his annual ice cream budget.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday said once he was made aware of the state-financed contract issued to purchase ice cream from his favorite Jerusalem parlor, he ordered it stopped immediately. Netanyahu called the contract “excessive and unacceptable.”

The Israel economic publication Calcalist published a list of items on the prime minister’s annual expense budget, including $2,700, or NIS 10,000, for ice cream.

Following the publication, Israelis flocked to the Metudela ice cream shop near the prime minister’s residence to check out his alleged favorite flavors: pistachio and vanilla.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the cost included hosting high-ranking officials at the official residence. Still, it offered a rare peek into the personal life of the private Netanyahu.