Mohammed Mar'i Saudi Gazette RAMALLAH – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent 10,000 Israeli shekel (about $2,700) for buying ice cream, an Israeli finical daily reported. The Calcalist said that the Prime Minister's Office approved an allotment of 10,000 shekel on 2012 for buying the ice cream from the “Metudela” ice cream parlor in occupied Jerusalem despite the fact that the section in the state budget relating to the maintenance of the prime minister's residence does not include an ice cream clause. The report said that Netanyahu's Office's staff managed to overcome the fact that service provider to the prime minister's official residence must be selected through a bid. As Netanyahu asked for ice cream from a specific store, which “corresponds to his personal taste,” according to the request submitted, the governmental tender board exempt the store from entering a bid. The report said Netanyahu was a fan of the parlor's pistachio and vanilla flavor after tasting several others. According to the report, the price of 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of ice cream at Netanyahu's favorite store is about 60 shekel ($16), meaning that the budget allows the prime minister and his family to purchase about 14 kg (31 pounds) of ice cream a month. Calcalist quoted Israel's Labor Party Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich as saying in response to the report on her Facebook page: “Hi, it's Shelly. If there's no bread, let them eat ice cream. Should we laugh or cry?” Following the report, Netanyahu declared that he would terminate the agreement with the ice cream parlor without delay. “It's an unreasonable expense which I find totally unacceptable,” he was quoted as saying.
