Israel to get its own version of Air Force One

Cabinet approves panel recommendations to purchase an Air Force One-type plane for Israel's leaders at a cost of between NIS 50m to Nis 70m.
  
After 66 years, Israel's prime minister and president will – as a result of a cabinet decision on Sunday – soon have a dedicated plane available to transport them around the world.

The cabinet on Sunday approved the recommendations of the Goldberg Committee -  a public committee established in December and headed by former Supreme Court judge and state comptroller Eliezer Goldberg - to purchase an Air Force One-type plane for Israel's leaders at a cost of between NIS 50m to Nis 70m, and to also to approve plans to build a single structure for the Prime Minister's residence and office, at a cost of some NIS 65 million.

The Defense Ministry is to present to the security cabinet within 60 days with a concrete proposal for the purchase of the plane.

The purchase of the plane will end continuing scrutiny by the press on how much each trip abroad is costing the state. Netanyahu was skewered Last May when it was revealed that the state spent some NIS 450,000 to outfit a leased El Al plane with a double-bed in an enclosed room for a five-hour flight to London with his wife Sara to attend Margaret Thatcher's funeral.

Transporting the prime minister and president abroad – the prime minister on planes rented from Israel's airline carriers, usually EL Al, and Peres in first class on commercial airliners – costs on average of some NIS 19 million a year.

The Goldberg committee was told during hearings that in the absence of a plane equipped with the necessary defensive equipment, Netanyahu has not – because of security reasons – been able to travel to some countries he would like to visit. Likewise, the planes are not equipped with state of the art and secure communications  systems, depriving him of the ability to be "in touch" when flying abroad, often –as on trips to the US – sometimes for 12 hours at a time.

Since 2001, the country has rented planes from Israeli airline companies for the prime minister’s trips. Until that time an old Air Force Boeing 707 was placed at his disposal, but it was unable to make a transatlantic flight without stopping to refuel, and was eventually decommissioned.

While every government since Ariel Sharon’s has discussed purchasing a plane, the issue has been considered a political “hot potato” and avoided, since any prime minister who approved it was wary of being accused of excessiveness and lavishness.

In addition to Goldberg, the other members of the committee were former Air Force commander Ido Nehushtan and accountant Iris Stark.

Source:  http://www.jpost.com