Netanyahu Vacates Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem

Benjamin Netanyahu and his family vacated the Israeli prime minister's official residence early Sunday, nearly a month after the longtime leader was ousted from office with the formation of an alternate government.   

A family spokesman confirmed the Netanyahus left the residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem shortly after midnight, in line with a deadline agreed upon last month with newly inaugurated Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.   The Balfour residence had become a symbol of the Netanyahus' scandals and was the scene of weekly protests against Netanyahu for much of the past year. Demonstrators called on the then-prime minister to resign while on trial for corruption. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and refused to step down.   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.