Netanyahu US Trips: $13,000 For Hair And Makeup, $500 Smoking Fee, $125 Traffic Ticket
According to a report by The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, documents released by Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office have revealed detailed expenses from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visits to the United States in 2025, including thousands of dollars spent on hair and makeup, luxury hotel suites, transportation and other logistical costs.
The records were released on Wednesday following a Freedom of Information request submitted by attorney Elad Mann on behalf of the Hatzlacha organization. They include expense tables, delegation lists and official schedules covering several of Netanyahu’s trips to the United States.
Some information was withheld on national security grounds, while the Prime Minister’s Office said that the review of certain bills had not yet been completed.
One of the most notable expenses came during Netanyahu’s February 2025 visit to Washington, where $6,772 was listed for a makeup artist and another $6,747 for a hairdresser. Together, the two services cost $13,519.
The same trip included a $25,000 charge for the prime minister’s suite, about $511 for food served in the suite and approximately $298 for laundry.
Another unusual item was a $500 charge described as a “smoking fee” for a conference room used for a press conference with Netanyahu. The expense report also contained charges for lighting, photography, transportation, work rooms, refreshments and equipment used by the delegation.
Hair and makeup expenses appeared again during Netanyahu’s April visit to Washington.
According to the released documents, $3,036 was paid to a makeup artist and an additional $3,036 to a hairdresser, bringing the combined cost to $6,072.
The April records also included about $1,228 for printers and toner and approximately $240 for a whiteboard and corkboard. The largest individual expense was a $51,661 hotel bill at Washington’s Watergate Hotel, while the total itemized expenses for the trip were approximately $128,900.
Netanyahu’s July visit generated an even larger hotel bill, with $172,701.60 listed for accommodation at Washington’s Willard InterContinental.
Among the expenses was a comparatively small $295 payment to a locksmith for repairs to an embassy entrance door. The description attributed the repair to a malfunction that occurred during the prime minister’s visit.
The July trip’s total itemized expenses were approximately $373,700. The documents also showed spending on customs, vehicles, overtime, refreshments and office supplies, including purchases from major retailers such as Amazon, Costco, Target and Staples.
Another unusual entry appeared in the records from Netanyahu’s September 2025 trip to New York and Washington.
The documents list a $125 payment described as a “traffic ticket” connected to the prime minister’s visit.
During the same trip, Netanyahu’s suite at New York’s Loews Regency cost $5,999 per night, with the total accommodation bill reaching $41,993.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the September visit coincided with the United Nations General Assembly, a period when hotel demand in New York is particularly high. It also noted that rooms are often reserved well in advance.
Netanyahu’s schedule during the trip included meetings with the presidents of Paraguay, Serbia and Argentina, an address to the UN General Assembly, a meeting with the United Arab Emirates’ foreign minister and an interview with Fox News. He later traveled to Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
The documents also detail Netanyahu’s end-of-year trip to Florida, where the prime minister’s suite cost $10,000 per night. The total bill for the suite was $50,000.
Members of the delegation were accommodated in regular rooms costing about $250 per night on average. Separate reporting on the trip said the delegation included 43 people, while the cost of Netanyahu’s government aircraft flight, Wing of Zion, was also reported at more than $423,000.
During the Florida visit, Netanyahu met with Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and then-US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He also spoke by telephone with Vice President JD Vance.
His schedule included media interviews, meetings with evangelical groups and elected officials, a meeting with businessman Steve Wynn and dinner at the home of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, also attended a New Year’s event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
The Prime Minister’s Office stressed that the figures released in response to the Freedom of Information request should not necessarily be regarded as the final cost of every trip.
According to the office, Netanyahu’s foreign visits are not paid for directly by the Prime Minister’s Office. Instead, expenses are handled through the Foreign Ministry and Israel’s diplomatic missions.
The PMO said an estimated amount is transferred before a trip, while invoices and receipts from suppliers are collected after the delegation returns. The documents noted that reviewing and processing the expenses can take months before final payments are made.
COURTESY: WorldUpdate247
