The cabinet today approved the purchase of a new plane for foreign trips by the prime minister and president, and the construction of new offices and official residence for the prime minister. The plane will cost $70 million, and the cost of building new offices and an adjacent residence for the prime minister will apparently cost NIS 650 million.
Yesh Atid ministers, including Minister of Finance Yair Lapid, as well Minister of Environmental Protection Amir Peretz (Hatnua) voted against the decision. Minister of Housing and Construction Uri Ariel abstained.
The decision was based on the report by the public committee chaired by Supreme Court Judge Emeritus Eliezer Goldberg, which states that without a private plane, the prime minister cannot have regular communications with Israel on long flights to certain countries. The committee's data states that, in 2010, flights by the prime minister and president cost NIS 30 million, they cost NIS 16 million in 2011-12, and NIS 14 million in 2013. The average annual cost was NIS 19 million. The president usually takes scheduled flights, and only rarely has a plane rented for him, in contrast to the prime minister, who always has the state rent a plane for him.
As for the prime minister's residence, the Goldberg Committee concluded that there was a major shortfall between what exists and what is essential, and recommended building a new residence and office that would fully meet the security and jobs needs in both routine times and emergencies. It advised building either a single compound or two adjacent buildings, in which the prime minister's residence does not exceed 10% of the total space.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 4, 2014
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