Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has left the Prime Minister's office, but he has not yet vacated the official residence designated for the Prime Minister in West Jerusalem, which has angered his successor, Naftali Bennett. It appears that Netanyahu, now the leader of the opposition in Israel, intends to put obstacles in the way of Bennett's new government and disrupt him in various ways.
Israeli media reported that Bennett has informed his predecessor of the necessity to leave the official residence within 14 days. Channel 12 in Israeli television clarified that the coalition led by Bennett plans to introduce new legislation to the Knesset that will regulate the process of handing over the residence located on Balfour Street in West Jerusalem. Currently, there are no clear rules in Israeli law regarding the timeframe that a Prime Minister must follow to vacate the building.
Israeli sources previously indicated that Netanyahu would not leave the residence for at least a few more weeks. They mentioned that members of the Netanyahu family are packing their belongings in the official residence, but it will take time before they move to their home in the coastal city of Caesarea. They cannot move to an apartment they own in Jerusalem because it currently does not meet security requirements, and Netanyahu is a co-owner of his father's house in the same city, but he is not expected to go there.
At present, Bennett, the new Prime Minister of Israel, resides in the Ra'anana area north of Tel Aviv. It's not just Bennett who wants to evict Netanyahu from the residence; his opponents, who have taken to the streets, threatened to file a petition with the Supreme Court unless Netanyahu vacates the premises by the end of this month. This action came after the former Prime Minister was seen in an official photo at the residence with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. They have demanded to know why the leader of the opposition is using an official residence to receive foreign figures.
