Netanyahu asked to return state gifts he received as Israeli PM
The prime minister's office has reportedly requested that Benjamin Netanyahu return 42 gifts from President Barack Obama, President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders that he received during his 12-year tenure.
The Israeli government is requesting that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara return a stash of gifts from foreign leaders that belong to the State of Israel, but Netanyahu’s office says they are no longer in his possession.
The Ma’ariv newspaper reports that Netanyahu, whose reign as Israel’s longest-serving premier ended in June, did not return the items when asked by the legal adviser in the prime minister’s office, Shlomit Barnea Farago.
“At the conclusion of your term as Prime Minister you were supposed to return all of the gifts you received during your term … in the condition in which they were given, barring reasonable wear and tear due to the passage of time,” Barnea reportedly wrote.
A senior Israeli official confirmed to the Associated Press that the prime minister's office contacted the former premier to return the gifts he collected during his 12 years in power.
