Israel's Netanyahu moves out of official residence after 12 years

Benjamin Netanyahu and his family have moved out of the official residence of the Israeli prime minister, after 12 years of living in the Jerusalem house and a month since a new government was sworn in.
"Shortly after midnight, the Netanyahu family left the official residence in Balfour," Ofer Golan, spokesman for the family, said early Sunday.
In recent years, the residence at the corner of Balfour and Smolenskin streets was the site of frequent protests against the polarizing prime minister, who has been indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
Netanyahu had agreed with his successor Naftali Bennett to leave by Saturday.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz had reported that Bennett wanted to allow the 71-year-old Netanyahu and his family a "period of adjustment."
Netanyahu received former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley in the residence after Bennett took office, a meeting that was sharply criticized in the media as a show of disrespect to the new government.
The eight-party alliance led by Bennett and Jair Lapid took power in mid-June.
According to media reports, Bennett plans to spend four nights a week in the official residence. His wife and four children reportedly plan to stay at their home in Raanana, near Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu, who was Israel's longest-serving prime minister, owns a private residence in the coastal city of Caesarea.
As prime minister, he had lived with his family for 12 years in the Jerusalem residence, which is also used for official receptions.