Israel's ex-PM Benjamin Netanyahu vacates official residence after 12 years

Israel's former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his family vacated the official residence early Sunday, nearly a month after the longtime leader was ousted from office with the formation of the right-wing government. Complying with the deadline agreed upon last month with newly inaugurated Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Netanyahu vacated the premises after staying there for 12 long years.

According to Channel 12 reports, several vehicles were spotted at his residence earlier this week. On Friday, several trucks along with Netanyahu's Audi cars were seen departing from the residence.

Bennett, who was sworn in as Prime Minister on June 13, is now expected to begin using the residence. As per the reports, the newly elected prime minister plans for his family to stay in their hometown of Ra’anana during the week while he uses the official residence for meetings. They may join him in Jerusalem on weekends.

During Netanyahu's stay, the Balfour residence had become a symbol of weekly protests for many years. Protestors in large numbers used to gather outside his house when he was undergoing trial for corruption. While in office, he was accused of several charges, including fraud, bribery, and breach of trust. However, he remained in office and denied the charges, and called it a political plot set up by the left-wing.

Meanwhile, the organization that mounted weekly protests against Netanyahu, outside the residence for more than a year, called him "Crime Minister". On his departure, the group took to Facebook and wrote, “The defendant and his family fled as the last of the thieves in the night.

According to The Time of Israel, the former Prime Minister, along with his family, will move to their villa in Caesarea as security has been tightened at their Jerusalem apartment, at which point the opposition leader plans to spend much of his time there. His departure comes nearly after he was succeeded by Naftali Bennett.

Naftali Bennett is a right-wing nationalist and an ex-tech millionaire. Meanwhile, Netanyahu was Israel's longest-serving prime minister, having held office for the past 12 years and a stint in the 1990s, and had occupied the residence since 2009.

However, Bennett has not yet announced a date for moving into the residence.