Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin NetanyahuCredit: Marc Israel Sellem

The Movement for Freedom of Information published on Monday a report of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's household expenses during the year 2014. 

The information was obtained after the group's legal advisor, Rachel Edri, filed a petition demanding the Attorney General grant it access to financial records. 

The report includes both the costs of Prime Minister Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem as well the maintenance costs of the family's private home in Caesarea. 

The majority of expenses at Netanyahu's private residence were for maintenance and landscaping, with other expenses including plumbing repair and testing the electronic water system, which cost 10,000 shekels ($2,621). 

Expenses at the Prime Minister's Residence included the purchase of many food items as well as a significant budget designated for catering. One event, which was particularly expensive, cost 22,445 shekels ($5,883). 

Other notable expenses included: 8,651shekels ($2,268) for coffee at the official residence, 17,818 shekels ($4,670) for pergola maintenance, and refreshments for different Bible studies totaling over 16,000 shekels ($4,194) 

The Movement for Freedom of Information's executive director, Einat Horowitz, expressed dissatisfaction with the way the group eventually accessed the information as well as how it was delivered. 

"It's unfortunate that the Prime Minister's Office once again chose not to elaborate on the public day-to-day expenses of the Prime Minister in a transparent matter," she said. 

"The material transferred to the movement was only partial and did not distinguish between the expenses of the official residence and the private home, making it impossible to learn the total expenditure of every item at each residence."

According to Horowitz, "one would expect that after a petition was filed with the court, the Prime Minister's Office would take initiative and publish the information of it own accord, allowing the public the chance to examine the distribution of spending.

"The Movement for Freedom of Information will continue to insist on the full transfer of information to the public, " Horowitz concluded.