Iftar Dinner at the U.S. Ambassador Residence. Image by Matty Stern/U.S.Embassy Tel Aviv

(JTA) — Now that the sale of the official residence of the U.S. ambassador to Israel has been finalized, congressional lawmakers are wondering whether the purchase complied with regulations.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has submitted several requests for information about the sale to the State Department, The Associated Press reported, citing an unnamed congressional aide. Among the questions being asked are whether a real estate broker was used and if there was an independent appraisal of the property in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv.

The aide also said that the State Department has confirmed reports that billionaire Jewish businessman and philanthropist Sheldon Adelson, a major Republican donor, is the buyer. The property’s asking price was 300 million shekels, or about $87 million.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Neither the buyer’s name nor the amount paid for the property in central Israel were made public in the U.S. Embassy’s statement announcing the sale.

“The buyer was selected solely on the basis of having submitted the highest and best offer,” the statement said.

According to the AP, Ambassador David Friedman will continue to live on the property until the spring, with the U.S. government leasing the property until then. Friedman owns a personal apartment in Jerusalem, where the U.S. Embassy moved to in 2018.

Globes reported last month that the Trump administration wanted to complete the deal before the November elections “to emphasize that the transfer of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the Israeli capital is a ‘fait accompli.’”

The post US lawmakers question sale of US ambassador’s residence in Israel appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount