A visit to New York by Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and his wife Sara cost the country’s taxpayers $541,886 (£382,000) , according to a detailed breakdown published after months of attempts by his office to prevent its release.



The cost – which included thousands of dollars for hairstyling and makeup for Netanyahu – follows a series of other recent controversies over the luxurious life enjoyed by the prime minister at the taxpayer’s expense – not least their travel.

Striking inclusions among the expenses listed for the visit to the UN’s general assembly last autumn were the cost of maintaining Netanyahu’s distinctive coiffure, at $1,600 – equivalent to more than $300 per day for the trip.

Similarly, Netanyahu’s makeup artist was billed at $1,750.

The latest disclosures follow official criticism over the Netanyahus’ spending habits. Last year the state comptroller listed what he considered excessive expenditures on takeaway meals, cleaning, makeup and hairstyling. The latter has prompted articles in the Israeli media attempting to determine the precise colour of his favoured dye wash.

A detailed breakdown for Sara Netanyahu – who police recently said could face charges for expenditure at the couple’s official residence – was not included.

The list of expenses also includes minor items, such as chocolate costing $4 and matches charged at $8.69.

Regular disclosures about the lifestyle of the Netanyahus have become a long-running soap opera in Israel, as details have emerged on an almost monthly basis from court cases brought by former staff, a police investigation and reports by the government’s official auditor.

They include allegations of holidays paid for by wealthy friends of the Israeli prime minister – including Arnaud Mimran, a French businessman currently on trial for fraud.

Three years ago it was disclosed that the Israeli government had paid for a specially commissioned $127,000 “resting chamber” on a plane taken by the Netayahus for a five-hour flight to London.

A year earlier, it was revealed that Netanyahu had an annual contract of more than $2,000 with a Jerusalem ice cream parlour to supply his favourite flavour – pistachio.

In May an Israeli employment court awarded compensation to a former handyman in the prime minister’s home, accepting the worker’s claims of abusive terms of employment by Sara Netanyahu.

Other items listed during the Netanyahus’ New York visit were the removal of furnishings from the hotel rooms, apparently to meet the needs of the guests, which cost Israel almost $20,000 – $3,500 for their removal and about $16,000 for “storage of the removed furniture”. Supplies of the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth cost $60.60. The online version of the paper is free.

The couple’s meals cost $1,860 while another item – described as “special cleaning” – was listed as costing $6,900 although it was unclear whether that was actually charged or recouped.

The details of the cost of the trip were revealed after an Israeli lawyer, Shahar Ben-Meir, requested disclosure of the expenditure in a case he pursued through the courts and eventually won.