The next Israeli prime minister will be the first in the state’s history to have a personal plane, a remodeled Boeing 767. Six years after a decision was made on the matter, the plane will finally take off, but with considerable turbulence. In a country rife with scandals, the story of the Israeli Air Force One deserves a place of honor. The state comptroller has already ordered his office to look into the matter.
Until 2001 Israeli heads of state flew abroad on an air force Boeing 707. Over the years, the plane aged and the prime minister’s office started to lease civilian planes on a public tender (El Al usually won) according to a predetermined budget. In December 2013 a committee headed by former High Court justice and former state comptroller Eliezer Goldberg examined dedicating a plane to the prime minister and the president. In April 2014, the committee recommended that a plane be purchased for reasons of security and National Security Council head Yossi Cohen recommended that the state spend 175 million shekels ($48 million) to purchase a used plane.
