Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Kaia
Netanyahu family requested that state pay for their dog's care
The request was rejected by the Prime Minister's Office after the office's accountant ruled that food and care for Kaia constitutes a personal expense, rather than a state one.
The latest installment in the ongoing saga of the Netanyahus' dog arrived on Tuesday when it was discovered that the family had requested that the state pay for Kaia's care and food.
The request, which would have essentially meant that expenditure for the dog would have been footed by the Israeli taxpayer, was refused by the Prime Minister's Office on the grounds that it constitutes a personal expense, rather than a state one.
The Netanyahu family with their dog, Kaia
The PMO management had passed on the request to the Finance Ministry. However, an internal discussion within the PMO also took place over whether to approve the payment request.
The request was initially brought to legal advisor Shlomit Barnea Farago, who said it did not fall under her authority. The matter was then passed to Yossi Itzkovitz, the PMO accountant, who deemed it a personal expense that the Netanyahus must pay out of their own pockets.
Channel 2's "Uvda" program claimed that the matter was also passed to Accountant-General Michal Abadi-Boinangiu, who ruled that the state would not bear the costs of Kaia's food and care.
The PMO did not deny that the Netanyahus requested that the state pay for their dog's costs.
In an official response, the PMO said: "The expenditures are not covered by state funds, but by the Netanyahu family." The Finance Ministry did not respond.
Kaia was recently released from quarantine after biting Likud MK Sharron Haskel and the husband of Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely at a Hanukkah candle lighting event at the Prime Minister's residence a few weeks ago.
