The Knesset Finance Committee on Monday approved an additional 60 million shekels ($16 million) to the existing NIS 178 million ($48 million) budget appropriated for the purchase and customization of an Air Force One-type airplane for Israel's leaders.
The Knesset approved the initial NIS 178 million budget last December, after a public committee headed by retired Supreme Court Justice and former State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg submitted recommendations to the cabinet that prompted the approval of the purchase.
Monday's vote to increase the budget was held after lawmakers from the Zionist Union opposition faction claimed there was a "technical issue" that called the previous vote into question.
While only two Zionist Union MKs – Micky Rosenthal and Itzik Shmuli – serve on the Finance Committee, the faction sent eight MKs to attend the meeting. Members of the Zionist Union have been vocal in their criticism of the allotment, claiming the state funds could be put to better use for the Israeli public.
Drorit Steinmetz, director of budget and projects at the Prime Minister's Office, criticized the opposition MKs.
"This project falls under the purview of the Defense Ministry. The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has also approved the framework of the budget, which has not been exceeded," she said.
In 2016, it was estimated that the cost of purchasing a dedicated plane for Israeli leaders would amount to NIS 580 million ($157 million). Sources familiar with the project said that outfitting the aircraft with the required defense and electronic systems would add millions of dollars to the tally.
A statement by the Prime Minister's Office said, "The decision to purchase such a plane followed the recommendations of the Goldberg committee, which examined the feasibility of the move and decided that purchasing an aircraft would save millions of shekels in state-funded flights."
