00:01Nearly half a million dollars!
00:03That is the amount Israel's Prime Minister's Office spent on hair styling, makeup and
00:10official representation expenses for its prime ministers between 2019 and August 2026.
00:19The figures were released following a Freedom of Information request filed by attorney Yara
00:25Winkler-Shallet on behalf of the Movement for Freedom of Information, and the numbers are
00:31putting a spotlight on Benjamin Netanyahu and his family.
00:35According to the records, Netanyahu and his wife Sara accounted for approximately 90 percent
00:42of the total hair styling and makeup spending during the period.
00:46The disclosure offers a rare look at how much taxpayer money was spent on the personal presentation
00:52and official duties of Israel's leaders.
00:56The spending varied sharply between different Israeli governments.
01:00During periods overlapping heavily with Netanyahu's tenure, annual grooming expenses climbed dramatically.
01:08The bill reached approximately $103,000 in 2023.
01:13And it arose even further, to roughly $111,000 in 2025.
01:20By comparison, combined grooming expenses during the 2022 terms of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid
01:28totaled about $27,600.
01:32The figures cover official hair styling and makeup, including services used for domestic appearances
01:39and international travel.
01:42Some individual expenses stand out.
01:45Between September and November 2023, the state paid nearly $2,600 for the Prime Minister's
01:53hairstyling.
01:55Makeup services added another approximately $1,580.
02:00In October alone, hairstyling cost around $810.
02:05But overseas travel pushed the bill even higher.
02:09A February 2025 trip to Washington generated approximately $13,500 in combined makeup and styling charges.
02:20And another Washington trip in July 2024 cost around $11,500.
02:27The nearly $470,000 disclosure does not represent grooming alone.
02:34The government disclosure also includes separate official representation expenses.
02:40Those allowances cover costs such as clothing and hosting connected to the Prime Minister's
02:46public duties.
02:47And once again, Netanyahu's numbers stand out.
02:51His representation expenses during the covered period totaled approximately $134,000.
02:58The disclosure comes after months of resistance to releasing detailed information on spending
03:06connected to Israel's Prime Minister.
03:09Freedom of Information advocates had pushed for greater transparency over expenses linked
03:14to the Prime Minister's official life.
03:17The latest records provide a detailed breakdown across multiple governments.
03:22They show taxpayer-funded spending on grooming, makeup, clothing, and hosting.
03:29Supporters of such expenditures can argue that Prime Ministers require professional presentation
03:35for major diplomatic meetings, public appearances, and international events.
03:41But critics can now question whether the scale of that spending is justified.
03:46The figures also highlight how expensive the machinery surrounding a national leader can become.
03:53Hairstyling and makeup may appear relatively minor compared with government budgets.
03:58But repeated expenses accumulate over years.
04:01And the records show significant differences depending on who occupies the Prime Minister's office.
04:07Netanyahu and Sara accounted for about 90% of grooming and makeup spending during the disclosed period.
04:15The peak years, 2023 and 2025, also overlap substantially with Netanyahu's time in office.
04:23Now, the nearly half-million-dollar disclosure is likely to feel a broader debate over government spending and transparency.
04:31The records show that professional grooming and representation form part of the official support provided to Israel's Prime Ministers.
04:40But they also reveal how dramatically those expenses can differ from one administration to another.
04:47For Netanyahu, the figures are particularly significant because he and Sara accounted for the overwhelming majority of grooming and makeup
04:56spending during the period.
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