The U.S. Ambassador to Israel’s Residence Can Be Yours, if You’ve Got $87 Million

Jun

admin

The famous annual July 4th celebration on the lawn of the U.S. ambassador to Israel's residence – for years, the most coveted invitation in town – is about to become a thing of the past.

The U.S. Embassy has confirmed that the spacious, seafront Herzliya Pituach home that has housed U.S. ambassadors since the 1960s is now listed for sale, part of a symbolic consolidation of the decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

skip
– The property brochure for the Herzliya residence

The property brochure for the Herzliya residence

The asking price for the property, according to the financial daily Globes, is 300 million shekels ($87 million). If sold at the reported price, it would be the most expensive transaction for a private residence in Israel.

Preparations for the July 4th party at the Residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, 2011.U.S. Embassy Jerusalem

“Following the decision to move the Embassy to Jerusalem it made sense to sell the residence in Herzliya,” a U.S. Embassy spokesperson told Haaretz. The spokesperson said that the sale was “expected to move ahead in the coming months,” raising the possibility that a prospective buyer may have already made an offer. The spokesperson, however, did not confirm the reports of a 300 million shekels asking price.

In late 2017, the Trump administration made the controversial decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, hailed by the Israeli government and its supporters in the United States but condemned by Palestinians and world leaders.

Iftar Dinner at the U.S. Ambassador Residence, 2016.U.S. Embassy Jerusalem

Galei Tchelet Street in Herzliya Pituach seen from the air. One of the most expensive streets in Israel.Ofer Vaknin

As soon as the Embassy was inaugurated, U.S. Ambassador David Friedman began dividing his time between the Embassy in Jerusalem and the "branch office" in Tel Aviv (the former embassy). Friedman announced his intention to relocate the ambassador’s official residence, but said the consul-general's residence in Jerusalem had not been approved for that purpose.

The U.S. Embassy spokesperson declined to comment on whether the new official residence would be an existing property or if the government would purchase or construct a new home for ambassadors.