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Dec. 29, 2020
The United States sold the ambassador’s residence in Israel for more than $67 million in July, according to an official Israeli record of the sale that shines new light on a transaction that has been shrouded in secrecy.
The State Department confirmed the sale in September but refused to identify the buyer or disclose the sale price of the sprawling beachfront compound in the upscale Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya. It has also declined to say how much the U.S. government is now paying to lease the property.
The Israeli business newspaper Globes has identified the buyer as the U.S. casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a strong supporter of both President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A representative of Adelson said the billionaire had no comment.
2020/12/29 19:21 JERUSALEM (AP) The United States sold the ambassador s residence in Israel for more than $67 million in July, according to an official Israeli record of the sale, which the State Department only confirmed several weeks later without detailing the implications for American taxpayers. The State Department confirmed the sale in September but refused to identify the buyer or disclose the sale price of the sprawling beachfront compound in the upscale Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya. It has also declined to say how much the U.S. government is now paying to lease the property. The Israeli business newspaper Globes has identified the buyer as the U.S. casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a strong supporter of both President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A representative of Adelson said the billionaire had no comment.
The sale helped to cement Trump s controversial decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to contested Jerusalem in 2018 and to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital. By selling the residence, it would make it harder for future presidents to reverse the decision to move the embassy. President-elect Joe Biden has criticized the decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem but says he will not reverse it.
Israel seized east Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state. Nearly all countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv because of the dispute over east Jerusalem.
US sold Tel Aviv ambassador s home to billionaire Trump-backer for $67m
Sheldon Adelson s July purchase appears to be most expensive single residence ever sold in Israel, new Israeli records reveal
Sheldon Adelson (R), CEO and chairman of casino company Las Vegas Sands, attends President Trump s Keep America Great rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 21 February (AFP/File photo) By Published date: 29 December 2020 17:04 UTC | Last update: 2 months 3 weeks ago
The United States sold its ambassador s residence in Israel for more than $67m in July, according to an official Israeli record of the sale, details of which have reportedly been concealed by the Trump administration.
Israel to inoculate a quarter of its population within month ― PM
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. PHOTO: AFP
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel was hoping to vaccinate a quarter of its population against coronavirus within a month in order to return to post-pandemic normalcy.
“I spoke over the weekend with the heads of the companies that are providing us with the vaccines and I told them that our goal by next weekend is to reach 150,000 vaccines a day,” Netanyahu said in a video.
“This means that within 30 days of reaching this pace we will have administered 4.5 million vaccinations,” he said. “Since everyone needs two injections, after one month we will have vaccinated 2.25 million Israeli citizens.”