Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's wife, Gilat, and children will fly overseas on Wednesday for a vacation abroad, the Prime Minister's Office said.
The Bennett family vacation, which does not include the Prime Minister himself, comes days after Bennett discouraged Israelis from traveling abroad due to the new COVID-19 Omicron variant.
The vacation, which was reportedly destined for Mauritius, was originally canceled after Israel designated the eastern African country as red.
Israel's coronavirus cabinet convened after the Omicron variant was discovered in Israel and made the decision to keep Ben Gurion Airport open to departures.
Following the cabinet's decision, the Bennett family changed its travel destination.
Former finance minister and Likud MK Israel Katz commented on the Bennett family's planned vacation on Twitter, calling it a "political lie turned normal," adding that Bennett's "personal example is being trampled."
אחרי שהמליץ לאזרחי ישראל לא לטוס לחו״ל אשתו וילדיו של בנט ממריאים לחופשה בחו״ל .ככה זה כשהשקר הפוליטי הפך לנורמה והדוגמה האישית נרמסת בראש חוצות. פשוט חוצפה
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) December 1, 2021
Bennett responded to criticism over his family's planned vacation in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening.
"The Bennett family is subject to the same rules that apply to all Israeli citizens," Bennett said. "I understand the criticism, hoever, we have learned more about the variant since Friday."