Bill Clinton paid $500,000 for 45-minute speech in Israel

Former US President Bill Clinton has been paid 500,000 dollars for a 45-minute speech in Israel honoring Israeli President Shimon Peres' 90th birthday.

The Times of Israel reported the non-profit Jewish National Fund gave the amount to Clinton for the speech, which he will be giving at the Peres Academic Center in Rehovot on June 17.

According to the New York post, the huge amount will not go straight into Clinton's pocket but will reportedly go to his William J. Clinton Foundation, which works on global health, strengthen economies, promote health and wellness and protect the environment.

The Jewish National Fund promotes environmental preservation initiatives and is known for an extensive tree planting programme in Israel.

The fee Clinton received has sparked outrage among some senior Israeli media figures, according to the Blaze.

Liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz called the figure a cause for embarrassment.