Inquiry warns Netanyahu risked Israel's national security in submarine deal
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a ceremony for the arrival of the German-made INS Rahav at the military port of Haifa on Jan. 12, 2016. Photo: Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
A national committee of inquiry in Israel sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday about his alleged actions surrounding the purchase of submarines eight years ago, which the letter said "put Israel's national security at risk and damaged its foreign relations and economic interests."
Why it matters: The committee's warning letter, which comes amid the war in Gaza and the fear of another war with Lebanon, adds to public criticism of Netanyahu's judgment and decision-making on national security issues.
- Many of the issues the committee raised in its letter to Netanyahu echo criticism the prime minister is facing about the intelligence and governing failures that led to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
- The committee said it warned Netanyahu and four other former senior officials of the findings because they might be negatively impacted by its final report. The letter also stated the committee wanted to allow Netanyahu an opportunity to make his case again before it draws final conclusions.
- The committee, which is headed by the former president of the Israeli Supreme Court, is authorized to recommend that the attorney general open a criminal investigation against those who were warned.
The latest:In a speech at the Knesset on Monday, Netanyahu dismissed the committee's work as dealing with "bureaucratic processes" and not with Israel's security.
- "My decision was vital to Israel's security. And no commission of inquiry appointed by the previous government for a clear political purpose will change that," he said.
The backstory: The national committee of inquiry was formed in 2022 by the previous Israeli government headed by Naftali Bennett to investigate the purchase of submarines and warships from a German company between 2009 and 2016.
- It is also looking at a "green light" Netanyahu gave the German government to sell submarines to Egypt without informing the Israeli defense establishment.
- A separate police investigation into alleged corruption connected to the deals has already led to indictments against Netanyahu allies, but the prime minister has not been investigated as a suspect.
- The two deals were worth billions of dollars and involved one of Israel's most sensitive weapon systems that, according to press reports, can carry nuclear weapons.
What they're saying: The committee wrote in its warning letter to Netanyahu that its investigation found he made decisions with significant implications for Israel's national security without an orderly decision-making process.
- It also said he struck agreements with Germany regarding the submarines and warships deals and about the sale of submarines to Egypt without any record or documentation and bypassed the rest of the Israeli government and defense establishment.
- The committee said Netanyahu hid his diplomatic discussions on those issues from the rest of the Israeli system despite being warned it may cause harm.
The other side: Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the submarines "are a central pillar of Israel's national security and in ensuring its existence against Iran, which is trying to destroy us."
- "History will prove that Prime Minister Netanyahu was right on this issue as well and made the right decisions for the security of Israel," the prime minister's office said.
Worth noting: The committee also warned Netanyahu's then- defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, who turned into one of Netanyahu's strongest political rivals and pushed for forming the committee.
- It also warned former Mossad director, Yossi Cohen, who was at the time Netanyahu's national security adviser.
