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JERUSALEM (AP) Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his family would vacate the official residence of the Israeli prime minister by July 10, nearly a month after being removed from office after a record 12-year reign.
This is not soon enough for critics who have long accused the Netanyahu of treating the office and its attributes as their private property, and who see it as another way to undermine the legitimacy of the new government sworn in a week ago.
In a joint statement released on Saturday evening, Netanyahu and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said they had agreed that the Netanyahu would move out by July 10 and that no further public events would take place at the residence until then. . Bennett will start using the residence the next day.
Netanyahu, who is now leader of the opposition, owns a private home in the seaside town of Caesarea. Bennett would continue to reside at his home in a Tel Aviv suburb, using the official residence on trips to Jerusalem and to host foreign dignitaries.
The relatively modest official residence on Balfour Street in central Jerusalem has been the epicenter of weekly protests against Netanyahu over the past year, reflecting the bitter polarization around his rule and his ongoing trial on serious charges of corruption.
On Saturday night, protesters showed up with a moving van with the Minister of Crime written on the side.
They order food, people come to visit them, no one knows when they are going to leave, said Ishay Hadas, one of the organizers. We have decided to come with our truck, and we are ready to help him at any time.
Some have compared Netanyahu to former President Donald Trump, who challenged his electoral defeat with false allegations of voter fraud and whose supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Trump skipped President Joe Biden’s nomination but left the White House on schedule. Unlike the United States, Israel does not have an established protocol for the surrender of residency.
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The political transition has already been more bitter than any in recent memory. After four elections in two years that largely revolved around Netanyahu’s character and legal issues, a coalition of eight parties managed to form a narrow majority to overthrow him.
But he did not go quietly.
Bennett’s speech as incoming prime minister was repeatedly interrupted by loud heckling from Netanyahu allies. In his own speech thereafter, Netanyahu attacked Bennett, calling him weak and inexperienced, and accusing him of defrauding his nationalist supporters by allying with left-wing parties. Netanyahu has vowed to return to power, saying we will be back soon.
The next day, Netanyahu reportedly spent less than half an hour in a transition meeting with Bennett in which a former prime minister would normally discuss the country’s significant security challenges and other major issues with his successor.
Next, Netanyahu welcomed former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, a Republican widely seen as considering a presidential bid, to the official residence. In a tweet about the visit, she called him Prime Minister.
Netanyahu’s current status in the official residence is that of a temporary guest, remaining there at Bennett’s mercy, Amir Tibon wrote in the left-wing Israeli newspaper Haaretz. His decision to use Balfour for a political photoshoot with Haley is an act of unprecedented gall, even by Netanyahu’s own standards.
Netanyahu has long been accused of leading a lavish lifestyle and using office attributes for his own personal gain. He is on trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes.
His family’s long residence at the Balfour Street home has also been the subject of legal action, with several employees accusing his wife, Sara, of abusive behavior. A housekeeper received $ 42,000 in damages in 2016, and another filed a lawsuit last year.
Sara Netanyahu was found guilty of embezzling state funds after reaching a plea deal settling allegations that she spent around $ 100,000 of state money on lavish meals. Shed had previously been charged with corruption, fraud and breach of trust.
The family denies any wrongdoing and said she was the target of a smear campaign by hostile media. Netanyahu said he was the victim of a witch hunt by his political opponents and compared his corruption trial to an attempted coup.
Protests outside the residence appear likely to continue until they move, which will be seen by his many opponents as the final confirmation that his time in power is truly over, at least for now.
He thinks that if he keeps saying I’m the prime minister, if he stays in the prime minister’s house, people will believe he is the prime minister, said Mordechai Avraham, one of the protesters who stood by. are gathered in front of the residence on Saturday.
People will believe he’s going to come back because that’s what he told them.
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Associated Press reporters Shlomo Mor and Ilan Ben Zion contributed.
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