The Diplomacy and Security Cabinet approved Sunday the construction of a new Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem's Givat Ram at the cost of over $160M. In addition, Israel will purchase a plane for use by the prime minister and president on flights abroad, at a cost of $100M.
The residence was planned by the offices of Ada Carmi-Melamed and the late Ram Carmi.
The original plans for the residence called for a luxurious and ostentatious structure which was also mocked by many who saw them as either spaceship-like or resembling a cross section of human female anatomy.
The public criticism caused the project to be cancelled by Netanyahu shortly after it was first announced some six years ago. It was revived last year but the plans were changed and no longer resemble the original ones. The price tag has not changed, however.
The residence is reportedly expected to be complete "within the next decade."
The residence will include both the Prime Minister's Office and the Prime Minister's Residence. The office section, which makes up most of the area, will be bow-shaped. Inside the bow will be an area for ceremonies. The structure will be five to eight stories high.
The prime ministerial plane is to be purchased in 2016 and become operational in 2017. In the past, the Israel Air Force set aside a special Boeing 707 plane for use by the prime minister and president in flights abroad. However, it became outdated and it was decided that they would use commercial flights.
A committee under retired Supreme Court Judge Eliezer Goldberg that looked into the matter decided that this situation is untenable, and recommended that a new plane be purchased.
The committee noted that the current prime ministerial residence on Balfour Street is housed in an old building that does not have a properly protected space to hold the prime minister and the cabinet in time of emergency, and lacks the conditions for hosting VIP guests. In addition, the location requires that busy streets inside Jerusalem be shut off to traffic whenever the prime minister's motorcade travels to or from the residence.