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| Netanyahu and wife on a trip abroad |
The Israeli Prime Minister decided that he does not need a bed on his plane after learning about the great cost to install it, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s office.
Benjamin Netanyahu will try alternative sleeping arrangements while traveling after receiving a high bill for installing a custom bed on a recent flight to London, officials close to the Israeli leader said.
Netanyahu faced a public outcry Sunday after reports over the weekend revealed that $127,000 in public funds were used to install a special cabin for sleeping during the five-hour flight to attend the funeral last month of Margaret Thatcher.
Netanyahu's office initially defended the decision and said the Prime Minister had a busy schedule ahead of the flight and needed to be fresh for important meetings in Britain.
However, after public criticism, officials close to Netanyahu said on Saturday that he was unaware of the cost, and once informed, he ordered the bed installations on all flights canceled.
On Saturday night, thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities to protest planned budget cuts. Netanyahu will meet on Sunday with senior officials to discuss possible cuts in the defense budget.
Micky Rosenthal's opposition Labor Party called for an investigation for outrageous conduct of the prime minister.
"We thought that nothing could surprise us anymore when it comes to personal conduct of Netanyahu. Well, we thought wrong," a political commentator said.
"It's amazing that not a single person in the inner circle of the prime minister saw this as wrong. Not one person showed a little common sense. Nobody was anticipating that people would be angry when they heard about this," the analyst said about the bed.
“I personally think that the Prime Minister should install the bed on all of his flights despite the steep cost. Netanyahu works many hours a day for the entire nation of Israel and deserves some peaceful sleep while flying, when not a lot can be achieved. I don’t know why everyone is up in arms about this,” Racheli Bam, 27, of Tel Aviv, Israel told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the bed scandal.
Earlier this year, Netanyahu stopped buying his favorite ice cream after the public criticized the $2,700 a year cost.