Security costs at Netanyahu's residences top $41 million, quaduple previous prime ministers

Israel's Prime Minister's Office paid 127,432,277 (about $41 million) shekels for security and protection projects at prime ministerial residences between 2023 and October 2026, during Benjamin Netanyahu's current term, more than four times the approximately 29 million shekels (about $9.4 million) paid in the preceding three years, according to newly disclosed government figures. The figures, released Wednesday by the Prime Minister's Office Freedom of Information Unit following a petition filed by the Givat Mordechai Community Association with the Jerusalem District Court, reveal a sharp increase in security spending at properties under the office's responsibility. The properties include the official prime ministerial residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem, Netanyahu's private residence on Gaza Street in Jerusalem, which was designated an alternative official residence, and his private home in Caesarea. However, the Prime Minister's Office stressed that the figures cover all residences under its responsibility, including official and private properties belonging to serving and former prime ministers. The disclosure does not specify how much was spent at each property. According to the figures, 10.9 million shekels (about $3.5 million) was paid in 2023, rising to 27.8 million (nearly $9 million) in 2024. Spending then surged to 72.5 million (about $23.4) shekels in 2025, approximately six times the amount paid in 2022. A further 16.2 million shekels (about $5.2 million) was paid between January and October 2026. By comparison, approximately 29 million shekels was paid during 2020–2022. The two totals cover periods of different lengths, with the latest figures spanning nearly four years and the earlier figures covering three. The Prime Minister's Office attributed much of the increase since 2024 to changes in the security threat level that required substantial investment in protecting the official residence. The explanation appears to refer, at least in part, to the threat posed by explosive drones following the October 2024 drone strike on Netanyahu's private residence in Caesarea. The attack highlighted the vulnerability of highly secured locations to aerial threats and prompted renewed scrutiny of security arrangements around the prime minister and his family. Despite releasing the overall figures, the Prime Minister's Office has refused to disclose how much was spent at individual residences, arguing that such information could compromise national security. The disclosure has renewed scrutiny of Netanyahu's previous criticism of his predecessor, Naftali Bennett, over spending on security arrangements at Bennett's private residence in Ra'anana. In 2022, Netanyahu shared a television report and accused Bennett of using public funds to renovate his home at a cost of 50 million shekels (about $16 million). "At the expense of Israeli citizens: Bennett renovated his private home in Ra'anana for 50 million shekels. Watch Ayala Hasson's investigation," Netanyahu wrote at the time. However, the latest government disclosure comes alongside official figures showing that the cost of security and protection work at Bennett's home was approximately half the amount Netanyahu had publicized. According to the State Comptroller, the cost of security work at Bennett's Ra'anana residence totaled approximately 24.9 million shekels (about $8 million). During 2021 and 2022, when Bennett and Yair Lapid served as prime ministers for most of the period, approximately 22.7 million shekels ($7.3 million) was paid for security projects across all prime ministerial residences combined. The figures do not necessarily represent the full costs incurred during those years, as some payments for projects undertaken at the time may have been made in subsequent years. Kobi Eisen, chairman of the Givat Mordechai Community Association, which filed the petition, told the court that the earlier report concerning Bennett had been false and argued that Netanyahu had amplified its claims. "That is why it is critical for the public to know how much money was invested in private homes," Eisen said. Government: Spending figures could expose security weaknesses The Security Division of the Prime Minister's Office opposed releasing a breakdown of expenses by property, saying the information could help hostile actors identify vulnerabilities and assess the level of protection at different residences. "Publishing security expenditures for the prime minister's residences and offices could reveal the extent of the security investment allocated to them and make it possible to draw conclusions about the level of protection and security priorities," the division argued. It warned that publishing expenses for individual properties could create security risks. According to the division, hostile actors routinely collect publicly available information, including photographs, intelligence obtained through agents and drones, and other sources. Such information, it argued, could be combined with spending figures to identify preferred targets, potential weaknesses and possible methods of attack. The division stressed that Israel is currently facing a security threat level that is among the highest since the establishment of the state, if not the highest. Under those circumstances, it said, the requested detailed disclosure could not be permitted. Alon Halva, the Prime Minister's Office deputy director general for security, emergency preparedness, information and cyber affairs, who is considered close to Netanyahu and his wife, also opposed releasing the figures. Speaking during the court hearing, Halva argued that even the amount allocated to each property could provide valuable intelligence. An adversary examining the figures alongside information gathered from other sources, he said, could compare the sums invested at residences associated with Lapid, Bennett and Netanyahu and use them to assess their respective levels of protection. ‘A number that reveals nothing’ Eisen rejected the government's arguments, maintaining that disclosing spending totals would not expose actual security arrangements or technical details. "Disclosing quantitative information does not harm security," he told the court. "There is no problem showing how much money was invested in the building on Balfour Street. The information does not allow a third party to know what the money was spent on, only how much was spent." He argued that the figures were important primarily because they would enable voters to assess the use of public funds. "It is a number that reveals nothing, other than allowing voters to know how much was invested," Eisen said. He again referred to Netanyahu's earlier criticism of Bennett, arguing that transparency was particularly important given the public controversy surrounding the former prime minister's residence. "The prime minister amplified the false report about Naftali Bennett concerning investments in Bennett's home. That is why it is critical for the public to know how much money was invested in private homes," he said. Eisen emphasized that his association wanted the information released before the October 27 election. "We want the information to reach voters before voters reach the ballot box," he said. "There is a kind of limbo here. They say the voters should decide, but they are not giving voters the information they need." Jerusalem District Court Deputy President Judge Arnon Darel ordered the Prime Minister's Office to provide an additional breakdown by Thursday, distinguishing between private and public residences and separating the figures according to periods or governments. The order represents a further step in the legal dispute over how much information the public should receive about security expenditures at properties used by Israeli prime ministers. The court's next hearing is scheduled for Sunday, October 18, when it is expected to decide whether the more detailed figures should be made public.