Israel Spent ₹4.49 Crore On PM Benjamin Netanyahu's Grooming, Official Expenses Since 2019: Report
Around 90% of hair and makeup expenses were linked to Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara; spending peaked in 2025 Israel spent around $470,000 (approximately ₹4.49 crore) on hairstyling, makeup and official representation expenses for its prime ministers between January 2019 and August 2026, according to data released by the country's Prime Minister's Office. Around 90% of the hair and makeup…
In the fiscal period from January 2019 to August 2026, Israel allocated around ₹4.49 crore (approximately $470,000) on grooming expenses for its prime ministers, according to data released by the Prime Minister's Office. A substantial portion of this expense, around 90%, was tied to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu, who held office for the majority of the recorded period.
The information emerged following a Freedom of Information petition filed in December 2025 by attorney Yaara Winkler-Shalit on behalf of the Movement for Freedom of Information.
The records indicate a significant rise in hair and makeup expenditure over the years. When Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid were prime ministers in 2022, the expenses were around ₹26.34 lakh. This figure increased to ₹97.52 lakh in 2023 when Netanyahu returned as prime minister. The highest annual expenditure was recorded in 2025 at ₹1.06 crore.
Notably, the records also detail spending related to the onset of the war in October 2023, with around ₹2.48 lakh spent on Netanyahu's hairstyling and approximately ₹1.51 lakh on makeup during September and November of that year.
Washington visits were a significant contributor to these grooming expenses. The most expensive single bill was incurred during a four-day visit to Washington DC in February 2025, amounting to around ₹12.9 lakh on hair and makeup. Another Washington trip in July 2024 resulted in around ₹10.99 lakh in similar expenses. The records also separately outlined Netanyahu's representation expenses, which totaled around $134,000 (₹1.28 crore), compared to about $19,000 (₹18.15 lakh) for Bennett and $2,600 (₹2.48 lakh) for Lapid.
Some details within the released documents, including the names of Netanyahu's hairstylists and makeup artists, were redacted citing state security concerns.
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