Newly released data following a court petition has revealed how public funds totaling hundreds of thousands of shekels were used in 2024 to cover personal and household expenses connected to the private residences of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu in Caesarea and Yerushalayim.
The information was disclosed after a legal petition filed by the Movement for Freedom of Information, leading to the publication of expenditure records from the Prime Minister’s Office that had previously been partially redacted. The newly released documents provide a clearer and more detailed picture of daily and personal spending, including food purchases and maintenance of private facilities such as a swimming pool.
According to the records, more than NIS 27,000 was spent on maintaining the swimming pool at Netanyahu’s private home in Caesarea. An additional roughly NIS 50,000 was used for food, groceries, and gas refills for both the Caesarea residence and the private home in Yerushalayim.
The documents further show that thousands of shekels were paid during the year for maintenance and renovation work at the Caesarea property. These included approximately NIS 5,000 for waterproofing consultation, around NIS 6,550 for sealing and insulation work following water damage, and about NIS 1,500 for pest control. In parallel, roughly NIS 6,000 was allocated for communications infrastructure work at the private residence on Gaza Street in Yerushalayim.
Other listed expenses included about NIS 1,400 for laundry services and approximately NIS 12,500 categorized as “maintenance and miscellaneous” costs. Additional payments to individual professionals were also detailed, including roughly NIS 1,650 to replace a kitchen faucet, around NIS 7,300 to repair bursts in the main water line, and NIS 650 to fix a clothes dryer.
Visits by other technicians—covering refrigerator repairs, electrical work, and plumbing—amounted to an additional roughly NIS 16,000, bringing the total spent on professional services alone to about NIS 18,000.
Public funds were also used for exterior maintenance at the Caesarea residence. Nearly NIS 1,400 was spent on torch fuel, approximately NIS 4,680 on replacing window screens, and close to NIS 7,000 on root-cutting work. These items had originally been redacted from public disclosure on security grounds, with the redactions now partially lifted.
Despite the expanded transparency, some information remains withheld. About NIS 46,000 in expenses is still classified due to security considerations, while another roughly NIS 20,000 was not itemized for privacy reasons. In total, around NIS 250,000 in public spending had until now not been fully disclosed.
Attorney Yaara Winkler-Shalit, who represents the Movement for Freedom of Information, sharply criticized the Prime Minister’s Office, saying that despite clear rulings by the Supreme Court and district courts, the public is repeatedly forced to turn to the legal system to understand how its money is being used. She said the matter involves basic information about personal expenses funded by the state budget.
{Matzav.com}
Prominent figures who served in the Biden administration are sharply criticizing the vetting process used by Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign, after Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro disclosed that he was asked whether he was “an Israeli agent” while being considered as a potential running mate.
Deborah Lipstadt, who served as the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, said the reported question reflected deeply troubling bias. “This report is extremely distressing. When vetted by the White House for my position as Special Envoy, I was not asked anything akin to this. Had I been, I would have responded that the question is an example of why an Envoy is necessary. It is classic antisemitism,” Lipstadt wrote on social media.
In a follow-up post, Lipstadt said her concerns only intensified as more details emerged. “The more I read about Josh Shapiro’s treatment in the vetting process, the more disturbed I become. The questions to him, I repeat, are why they needed a Special Envoy on antisemitism. These questions were classic antisemitism,” she added.
Similar criticism came from Aaron Keyak, who previously served as Lipstadt’s deputy, in a statement addressing the episode. “The minimum demand of Jews in the United States and our allies – even those in public service – is to simply be treated like any other American, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or race. That Governor Josh Shapiro wrote that he was asked if he was a double agent of the world’s only Jewish state is an antisemitic inquiry,” Keyak said.
Keyak questioned why Shapiro, in particular, was subjected to such scrutiny. “While we can safely assume that asking all potential Vice Presidential picks if they are an Israeli double agent is not included on the standard list, the obvious question is why it was Governor Shapiro who was targeted by the staff of the presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee, Kamala Harris, in particular. The truth is, we almost certainly know why,” he added.
He went on to argue that such treatment reflects a broader pattern. “Unfortunately, this is not the first time the US government or a presidential campaign has applied a double standard to American Jews during the vetting process for a wide range of officials. I have heard from too many being asked similar questions over many years and I can speak from personal experience. During my vetting process I faced questions in a classified setting that my fellow non-Jewish political appointees did not. These sort of antisemitic questions are anti-American and do not represent the best that the Democratic Party offers. Now and especially during the next Presidential campaign we must demand better,” Keyak concluded.
The remarks followed reporting by The New York Times, which published excerpts from Shapiro’s forthcoming memoir, Where We Keep the Light, scheduled for release on January 27.
In the book, Josh Shapiro describes what he characterized as an unusually tense and intrusive vetting process, particularly surrounding Israel. “Had I been a double agent for Israel?” Shapiro wrote, recounting a last-minute question posed by the vetting team. He said he pushed back, calling the inquiry offensive, and was told in response, “Well, we have to ask.”
Shapiro wrote that while he believed the staffer was “just doing her job,” the exchange nevertheless “said a lot about some of the people around the VP.”
A spokesperson for Kamala Harris did not respond to a request for comment.
Shapiro was among the finalists under consideration to join Harris on the Democratic ticket, though she ultimately selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
President Donald Trump, who defeated Harris in the 2024 election, has repeatedly argued since then that Harris passed over Shapiro, whom he described as a stronger option than Walz, because Shapiro is Jewish.
Shapiro has rejected the claim that antisemitism determined the outcome, and has dismissed Trump as the “least credible person” to lecture others about opposing hatred and bigotry.
At the same time, Shapiro acknowledged broader concerns, saying, “Antisemitism played absolutely no role in my dialogue with the vice president. Absolutely none. It is also true that antisemitism is present in our commonwealth, in our country and in some areas within our party, and we have to stand up and speak out against that.”
{Matzav.com}
Israel’s military chief has alerted the country’s top political leadership to a growing crisis in combat manpower, cautioning that the Israel Defense Forces could face serious operational limitations if the issue is not addressed swiftly.
In a letter disclosed by Channel 12 News, Eyal Zamir, the IDF Chief of Staff, warned that “the shortage of fighters is already acute” and could begin “to undermine the military’s readiness within the next year.”
Zamir wrote that the security pressures of the past two years have placed extraordinary strain on the IDF, disrupting personnel systems and creating challenges without precedent. He pointed out that legislative efforts tied to the Draft Law and to extending compulsory service are moving too slowly, a lag he said threatens the army’s capacity to carry out its responsibilities.
According to the Chief of Staff, only an immediate, urgent, and even retroactive extension of mandatory service for men to 36 months can prevent serious harm to the IDF’s force-building plans. He cautioned that without such a step, both readiness and the standard of combat training would deteriorate, with effects becoming noticeable as soon as next year and intensifying from January 2027.
The warning comes as the IDF reports shortfalls of thousands of soldiers in combat units and raises concern that, beyond the current gaps, the Knesset is advancing legislation that would broaden draft exemptions, potentially worsening the manpower crisis.
{Matzav.com}
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Denmark has moved to bolster its military presence in Greenland, sending additional troops to the Arctic territory as tensions escalate with President Donald Trump over the region’s strategic importance.
Danish broadcaster TV 2 reported that the Armed Forces confirmed the arrival of a fresh deployment late Monday at Greenland’s main international airport, describing the move as “a substantial contribution” to security efforts on the island.
According to Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, who heads Denmark’s Arctic Command, roughly 100 Danish soldiers have already been stationed in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, with further forces set to be positioned in Kangerlussuaq in western Greenland.
The decision follows recent remarks by Trump emphasizing Greenland’s military and geopolitical significance and accusing Denmark of failing to adequately protect the territory.
In a Jan. 18 post on Truth Social, Trump warned that Denmark had neglected its responsibilities in safeguarding Greenland from external threats.
“NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland,’” Trump wrote.
“Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it. Now it is time, and it will be done!!!” he said.
On Monday, a statement released a text message exchange between Trump and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that addressed Greenland and the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway?” Trump said before adding that there were “no written documents; it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also,” he said in part of the exchange.
“I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT,” he added.
Prior to the release of the exchange, Andersen had said, according to Reuters, that Denmark’s troop movements were motivated by general security considerations rather than by Trump’s statements.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen also said Denmark is expanding its military activity in and around Greenland in coordination with NATO allies as part of a broader effort to reinforce Arctic defenses, Reuters reported.
Existing Danish units in Greenland may remain in place for a year or longer, with further rotations planned in the years ahead.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Jan. 15 that the deployment of European forces would not influence Trump’s stance on Greenland.
“I don’t think troops from Europe impact the president’s decision-making process, nor does it impact his goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all,” she told reporters.
The latest Danish troop increase follows Trump’s announcement that the United States will impose a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from countries that have backed Denmark and Greenland, including Norway.
{Matzav.com}
The deadly incident at an unlicensed daycare center in Yerushalayim on Monday has prompted urgent action in the Knesset, with a special joint hearing scheduled to address the dangers posed by unlicensed childcare facilities.
Next Monday, January 26, at 9:30 a.m., the Knesset’s Education, Culture and Sports Committee, chaired by MK Zvi Sukkot, will convene an emergency joint session together with the Committee on the Rights of the Child, headed by MK Keti Shitrit.
The discussion has been formally designated as an emergency hearing and will focus on the serious risks involved in operating daycare centers for infants without proper licensing, an issue that has once again come to the forefront following the tragic events in the capital.
MK Sukkot said: “My heart aches for the pain of the bereaved families, and I am praying for the injured. But our responsibility as public representatives is to ensure that scenes like today’s tragedy never happen again.”
He added that “we will demand that the supervision and enforcement authorities in the education system provide immediate solutions that will prevent danger in daycare centers operating without a license.”
The tragedy has ignited a fierce public and political backlash, with criticism centered on a decision by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to cancel state subsidies for daycare centers serving families of avreichim.
Chareidi political figures argue that the decision, widely referred to as “the daycare decree,” has pushed thousands of parents to place their children in unregulated and unsupervised facilities, potentially endangering the lives of infants and toddlers.
According to these claims, the removal of subsidies has directly undermined the ability of economically vulnerable families to choose safe, supervised daycare frameworks.
MK Yoav Ben-Tzur, who previously served as the minister responsible for daycare subsidies, said he had warned in advance about the possible consequences of eliminating the funding.
“My heart is bleeding over the terrible tragedy at the unregulated daycare center in Yerushalayim. At this moment, our hearts go out to the families of the toddlers whose world has been destroyed by the heavy disaster that struck them all of us,” Ben-Tzur said.
He continued: “In the fierce struggle I waged to continue daycare subsidies also for avreichim, I warned and cried out in dozens of written documents, legally supported, to the Attorney General, about the grave danger of denying subsidies to supervised daycare centers and pushing thousands of families into unsupervised daycare frameworks.”
“Sadly, today the fear has proven to be a true outcry. The writing was on the wall. Helpless toddlers paid with their lives because of forceful and irresponsible decisions that harm, first and foremost, helpless infants,” Ben-Tzur concluded.
MK Moshe Arbel also sharply criticized the policy, saying: “In the State of Israel, the children of illegal infiltrators are entitled to daycare centers and preschools. In the name of the battle against the chareidi public, the children of avreichim are expelled from supervised daycare centers. The voices of the blood of ‘tinokos shel beis rabban,’ infants who never tasted sin, cry out from the ground. Children’s lives must be kept outside of any political struggle.”
The Chalamish organization, an association advocating on behalf of daycare centers in Israel, also issued a strong statement in response to the tragedy.
“We heard with shock about the heavy disaster that occurred at the pirate daycare center in Yerushalayim,” the organization said. “We have no doubt that government ministries that restrict the steps of daycare operators and parents, together with the decrees of the Attorney General that prevent subsidies for Torah-learning avreichim and punish toddlers for the ‘sin’ of their parents, will not be able to say: ‘Our hands did not spill this blood and our eyes did not see.’”
The organization added: “We call on all law enforcement authorities and the Supreme Court to look at the disaster that occurred today at the pirate daycare center and understand that the exclusion of chareidi children from supervised daycare centers is what could lead to the next disaster.”
{Matzav.com}
One of the two toddlers who died in Monday’s tragic disaster at a private daycare center in Yerushalayim Romema neighborhood was Aharon (Ari) Katz, the young son of Rabbi Yaakov Katz and Chani Katz. Chani is widely known for her work with bereaved families across Israel.
In the immediate aftermath of the outbreak of the war on October 8, Mrs. Katz and her sister, Chavi Voger, established the volunteer Tachshik initiative, a nationwide memorial project. Through the effort, thousands of remembrance necklaces bearing the names and photos of fallen soldiers and terror victims were created and delivered to grieving families throughout the country. The project quickly became a powerful symbol of solidarity and shared mourning in the months following the attacks.
On Monday morning, Mrs. Katz brought her son Ari to the daycare center for his very first day. Family members said the caregiver was someone they trusted deeply, describing the setting as a warm, home-based framework where the family’s older children had also been cared for in the past.
As news of the tragedy spread, relatives of the family released a brief statement expressing their faith despite the pain. “We do not know the calculations of Heaven,” the family said. “May Hakadosh Boruch Hu comfort her as only a loving Father can comfort His daughter.”
Later that evening, amid the shock and unbearable grief, Voger shared a deeply emotional reflection that quickly circulated on social media. “How, Master of the World, do you eulogize a baby?” she wrote. “How much did he love tickles and kisses? How did he smile, and when did he want to cry? How mischievous was he, which pacifier did he love most? How much did he weigh, and at what age did he begin to crawl?”
She continued with haunting questions directed heavenward: “And what, Master of the World, do the sweet souls do in the Garden of Eden of babies? Do they draw angels? Do mothers laugh? Do they sit in a circle of the righteous, tiny whole hearts beating, telling stories of the end of days? And is the firmament up there not too vast for my little baby, who only knew how to crawl?”
The Tachshik memorial initiative, which has stood as a quiet monument of comfort for thousands of bereaved families since Simchas Torah, now faces an unthinkable silence, confronting the private, shattering loss of its own founder.
{Matzav.com}
A nuclear-era bunker beneath the White House’s East Wing was dismantled during renovation work ordered by President Donald Trump, CNN reported Monday, citing people familiar with the project.
The report said the underground complex was removed as part of demolition to clear space for a large new ballroom planned for the White House. As part of the overhaul, the East Wing—long home to the first lady’s offices—was entirely torn down.
One source briefed on the matter told CNN that the plan is to construct a replacement bunker using updated, state-of-the-art technology. The White House declined to comment.
Since returning to the White House about a year ago, Trump, a billionaire and former real estate developer, has pursued a series of changes intended to remake the historic residence and leave a permanent imprint. After smaller efforts such as repaving the Rose Garden and erecting tall flagpoles on the grounds, the administration moved ahead in October with the much larger ballroom project, which is expected to surpass the main White House building in size.
CNN reported that the demolition reached deep below ground, encompassing the bunker built more than eight decades ago during World War II at the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The facility is formally known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, or PEOC.
“With a high degree of confidence, I can say that all of the subterranean structures, including the PEOC, heating and ventilation systems, and underground facilities used by the White House Military Office and the Secret Service, appear to no longer exist,” one source told CNN.
According to the report, removing the aging bunker has not triggered alarm among security officials. Sources said multiple backup protections remain in place to safeguard the president during emergencies. CNN added that plans for a new underground facility are being developed under strict secrecy, though Trump and senior aides have publicly alluded to a highly classified project beneath the White House.
At a recent meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, White House Director of Management and Administration Joshua Fisher was questioned about why the East Wing was demolished without advance approval, an unusual step. Fisher indicated that the decision was tied to sensitive underground work.
“There are some aspects of this project that are of a top-secret nature and are currently underway,” he said. The administration has made similar claims in court filings defending the construction, arguing that stopping the underground work would pose a risk to national security.
The original bunker was constructed in the early 1940s as a bomb shelter in the aftermath of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Over time, it was upgraded into a fortified command center designed to survive a nuclear blast, complete with independent power, water, air filtration, secure communications, and an emergency escape route.
The facility has been activated during past national crises, including the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, when then–Vice President Dick Cheney was taken there shortly before a hijacked plane struck the Pentagon. Trump was also reportedly escorted to the bunker during unrest following the killing of George Floyd in 2020.
While the price tag for the new underground installation has not been disclosed, CNN said it is expected to be significant. Trump has stated that the ballroom—estimated to cost about $400 million—will be paid for with private donations, but any underground security infrastructure would ultimately be funded by U.S. taxpayers.
{Matzav.com}
