A long list of expenses was recorded during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visits to the US in 2025, including more than $13,000 for hair and makeup, a $500 “smoking fee,” $295 to repair an embassy door, and $125 for a traffic ticket, according to documents released by the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday.
The documents were provided to attorney Elad Mann of Hatzlacha (The Movement for the Promotion of a Fair Society), an Israeli nonprofit watchdog, following a Freedom of Information request. They include billing tables, delegation lists, and schedules from the visits.
Some details were redacted on national security grounds. In some cases, the office said, the review of the bills had not yet been completed.
During Netanyahu’s visit to Washington in February, there was a $6,772 charge for a makeup artist and $6,747 for a hairdresser, totaling $13,519.
That visit also included a $25,000 charge for his suite, $511.50 for food in the suite, and about $298 for laundry.
One of the smaller entries was a $500 “smoking fee – conference room, press conference with the prime minister.”
There were additional expenses for lighting and photography, transportation, work rooms, refreshments, and equipment the delegation used during the visit.
Over $6,000 spent for makeup artist and hairdresser
During a visit in April, $3,036 was spent on a makeup artist, and $3,036 was paid for a hairdresser, totaling $6,072.
The same report included $1,228 for “printers and toners” and about $240 for a “whiteboard and corkboard.”
The highest charge during that visit was $51,661 for Washington’s Watergate Hotel. The total itemized charges in the report came to about $128,900.
In the report covering the July visit, $172,701.60 was spent for staying at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington.
In addition, $295 was paid to a locksmith company for “repair of embassy entrance door – malfunction during prime minister’s visit.”
The documents also included purchases from Amazon, Costco, Target, and Staples, as well as expenses for refreshments, office equipment, vehicles, customs, and overtime.
The July visit’s expense report totaled about $373,700.
For Netanyahu’s trip to New York and Washington in late September, $125 was spent on a “traffic ticket – prime minister’s visit 09.25.”
During that trip, Netanyahu’s suite at the Loews Regency in New York cost $5,999 per night, totaling $41,993.
The visit took place during the UN General Assembly, when demand for hotel rooms in New York is always high and rooms are booked far in advance, the office said.
The schedule attached to the documents shows that the visit included, among other events, 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.
Netanyahu later flew to Washington, where he met with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
The highest nightly price for the prime minister’s suite among the documents released was recorded during an end-of-year visit to Florida, $10,000 per night, for a total of $50,000.
According to the report, a regular room for members of the delegation cost about $250 per night on average.
The official schedule shows that during the visit, Netanyahu met with, among others, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Trump, and he spoke by phone with Vice President JD Vance.
The visit later included interviews with Fox News and Newsmax, a meeting with Steve Wynn, dinner at Larry Ellison’s home, meetings with evangelicals and elected officials, and Netanyahu and his wife attending a New Year’s event at Mar-a-Lago.
The delegation list for the Florida visit included dozens of names and positions from the Prime Minister’s Office, the public diplomacy apparatus, foreign relations, and logistics, alongside additional officials whose details were redacted.
PMO: Figures do not necessarily represent final bills in every case
Despite the extensive detail, the office said the figures did not necessarily represent final bills in every case.
In its response to the Freedom of Information request, the office said Netanyahu’s overseas visits are not paid for directly by the office but through the Foreign Ministry and its missions.
Before a visit, an estimated cost is transferred, but suppliers’ invoices and receipts are collected only after the trip ends.
The process can take “many months,” and the office said it transfers payment to the Foreign Ministry only after reviewing the expenses.