{"id":257202,"date":"2026-01-25T17:54:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T17:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/257202\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T17:54:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T17:54:11","slug":"submarine-affair-probe-finds-systemic-failings-endangered-state-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/257202\/","title":{"rendered":"Submarine affair probe finds &#8216;systemic failings&#8217; endangered state security"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The state commission of inquiry into the submarine affair, a more than decade-old political scandal, said Sunday that it had found \u201csystemic failings\u201d in Israel\u2019s acquisition of naval vessels under a previous Benjamin Netanyahu-led government.<\/p>\n<p>The commission of inquiry also found failings in the sale of naval vessels to Egypt by Germany with Israel\u2019s approval, which it said endangered national security.<\/p>\n<p>The so-called submarine affair, also known as Case 3000, revolves around allegations of a massive bribery scheme in the multibillion-shekel state purchase of naval vessels from German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp in the early 2010s. The case led to a number of indictments against close confidants of Netanyahu, but not the premier himself.<\/p>\n<p>Israel purchased the vessels from Thyssenkrupp in a series of murky deals worth some $2 billion that have been under scrutiny for possible corruption and bribery.<\/p>\n<p>The state commission of inquiry was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/cabinet-votes-to-establish-state-inquiry-into-submarine-affair\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">established in 2022<\/a> during then-prime minister Naftali Bennett\u2019s tenure, to examine submarine and naval vessel purchases that occurred on Netanyahu\u2019s watch and the sale by the German Thyssenkrupp company of submarines and naval vessels to Egypt with Netanyahu\u2019s apparent approval.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel&#8217;s Daily Edition<br \/>\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/terms\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">terms<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In its finding issued Sunday, the commission said that Israeli governments had failed to establish clear policies and strategy, made case-specific decisions, and ignored the broader picture of the country\u2019s security requirements \u201cin a manner that endangered state security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDecisions by the political leadership must be made through an organized process, in which professional agents participate and considerations \u2014 political and professional \u2014 are taken into account\u2026 This was not the case in the naval vessel affair,\u201d the commission found.<\/p>\n<p>\t<a href=\"https:\/\/static-cdn.toi-media.com\/www\/uploads\/2019\/10\/F160112KBG04.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2163483\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/F160112KBG04-640x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"375\"\/><\/a><br \/>\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at a welcoming ceremony for a new submarine, Rahav, at the Israeli Navy base in Haifa, on January 12, 2016. (Kobi Gideon\/GPO)<\/p>\n<p>The commission wrote in its findings that \u201cthe handling of the sale of weapons systems by allies to third parties \u2014 a sensitive strategic issue \u2014 was conducted in chaos and without clear direction, in a manner that endangered state security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition, it found that \u201cconversations and understandings\u201d between ministers and prime ministers with foreign entities \u201cwere not documented,\u201d despite the responsibility to do so.<\/p>\n<p>The commission called on the government to clearly set out its priorities, ranking the threats for which the Israel Defense Forces must prepare, and instruct the military to \u201cformulate a multi-year plan accordingly\u201d to serve as the basis for force buildup decisions.<\/p>\n<p>The commission into the submarine affair was led by retired Supreme Court justice Asher Grunis, who was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/former-supreme-court-president-asher-grunis-rushed-to-hospital-in-serious-condition\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hospitalized last week<\/a> in serious condition.<\/p>\n<p>The commission\u2019s document of recommendations released Sunday did not include an analysis of personal responsibility for the failings, and the formulation and publication of those findings will only happen once petitions filed to the High Court of Justice by those who were warned by the commission about their possible culpability, including Netanyahu, have been adjudicated.<\/p>\n<p>\t<a href=\"https:\/\/static-cdn.toi-media.com\/www\/uploads\/2022\/01\/F210125OF28.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2684204\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/F210125OF28-640x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"375\"\/><\/a><br \/>\n\t\tIsraelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside a court hearing on the submarine affair, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, January 25, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi\/Flash90)<\/p>\n<p>In June 2024, the commission <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/submarine-affair-inquiry-finds-netanyahus-decisions-compromised-national-security\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sent letters of warning<\/a> to Netanyahu, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, former Israel Navy chief Ram Rothberg, former defense minister Moshe Ya\u2019alon and National Security Council employee Avner Simchoni over their roles in the affair.<\/p>\n<p>The members of the panel accused Netanyahu of using the National Security Council to bypass the government and the military to advance naval purchases in a way that \u201cendangered state security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The prime minister \u201csidelined the government and neutralized its ability to influence issues related to the core of the State of Israel\u2019s national security and military development,\u201d said the commission.<\/p>\n<p>Cohen, who at the time of the purchases was head of the NSC, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/submarine-affair-panel-pm-and-nsc-duped-security-establishment-into-dubious-deals\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">accused last year<\/a> by the commission of promoting the deals \u201cincautiously and without the necessary expertise,\u201d while misleading the security establishment.<\/p>\n<p>\t<a href=\"https:\/\/static-cdn.toi-media.com\/www\/uploads\/2017\/10\/F151015MA007.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1703564\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/F151015MA007-640x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"375\"\/><\/a><br \/>\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Yossi Cohen at a press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, October 15, 2015. (Miriam Alster\/Flash90)<\/p>\n<p>Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said Sunday that the commission\u2019s findings \u201cprove once again: The most sensitive security issues of the State of Israel were managed with destructive negligence and amateurishness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz, who was IDF chief during some of the purchases, said Sunday that the commission\u2019s conclusions \u201care further proof of how important it is to establish a state commission of inquiry to investigate the greatest disaster we have known,\u201d the October 7, 2023, attack.<\/p>\n<p>Netanyahu has vehemently opposed establishing a state commission into Hamas\u2019s October 7 onslaught and is instead pursuing the creation of a politically controlled investigation.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tIs accurate Israel coverage important to you?\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>If so, we have a request.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Every day during the past two years of war and rising global anti-Zionism and antisemitism, our journalists kept you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. 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Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The state commission of inquiry into the submarine affair, a more than decade-old political scandal, said Sunday that&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257203,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-257202","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}