Netanyahu said to use state funds to renovate private home

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used state funds to cover the cost of renovations in his private residence in Caesarea that began before he was appointed prime minister, an investigative TV show reported Monday evening.

The Netanyahus had hired a contractor to begin the construction in 2009, after the elections but before he took office, the report in Channel 2’s Uvda program said. The cost amounted to NIS 22,000 ($5,550) for some initial repair work, but when the contractor received notice that he would be paid by the Prime Minister’s Office — after Netanyahu became prime minister — he refused to accept the funds, saying that he had negotiated directly with the Netanyahus and should be paid by them directly.

“At some point some guy named Ezra called me and presented himself as the head of the ‘construction unit,'” contractor Benny Keren said. “Seeing as I gave a price quote to the Netanyahus, he asked that I transfer it to the Prime Minister’s Office. I refused, I gave the offer to the Netanyahu family, I wasn’t willing to move it to the Prime Minister’s Office.”

Once he completed the repairs, “they simply disappeared,” he said. “No one spoke to me about the money. When I tried to reach them, I received all these excuses. After two months they got back to me, and at some point I was told, ‘Mrs.[Netanyahu] wants to meet with you,’ and I went over to settle the account.”

The contractor said he sat with Sara Netanyahu at the pool, while she tried to convince him that the government had to cover the renovation costs, and that he eventually gave in.

“And what does she say? That the prime minister earns NIS 13,000 ($3,200) a month on a salary, and they are not rich like their friends,” Keren recalled. She then said, “So then I’ll give it to you in two payments,” and then she told me: “I’m paying you because the government didn’t pay, but the government will pay. It needs to pay for this.”

The report said the government is supposed to cover renovations for damages incurred while the prime minister is in office, while the contractor said the larger renovations on the house went back eight years and its condition was “abysmal.” But after Keren was paid by the Netanyahus for the work, the government proceeded to cover an additional NIS 52,000 ($13,000) to renovate the residence, the report said.

In a response to the report, the PMO said that the prime minister regularly conducts official business and hosts leaders from abroad at his private residence.

“In accordance with protocol, the government assists in covering his expenses, and the same was done for prime ministers before him. It should be noted that the Netanyahus pay municipal taxes, insurance and the pool costs out of pocket,” a statement said.

A statement from the Netanyahus defended their conduct, and said the report was part of “a timed campaign of slander, lies and gossip against the prime minister and his wife.”

“At this fateful time, the prime minister is focusing the effort to halt the dangerous nuclear deal with Iran,” it said.

The Netanyahus are embroiled in a series of financial scandals, after a state comptroller report accused them of excessive spending, and of pocketing the refunds on recycled bottles. The attorney general was evaluating the evidence, as well as testimony by the Netanyahus’ ex-custodian, Menny Naftali, to determine whether to open a criminal investigation.