TEL AVIV (TASS): The Israeli government approved on Sunday the creation of a state commission to investigate the circumstances of the acquisition by the Jewish state of submarines and a number of other warships in Germany between 2009 and 2016, when former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in power. This is reported by the Israeli radio Kan , noting that Prime Minister Naftali Bennet abstained from voting on this issue.
“The creation of the commission is a top priority in the field of security. This is a clear signal that games with Israel’s security are unacceptable,” the radio station quoted Defense Minister Benny Gantz as saying. “This is the most serious security corruption case in the country’s history. It’s time to investigate and provide answers,” Jewish Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeted ahead of the vote on the issue.
The investigation of offenses in concluding a deal to acquire submarines and other warships from the German company ThyssenKrupp began in Israel in February 2017 and was called “Case 3000”. In December 2019, State Attorney Shai Nitzan decided to file corruption charges against him against a group of Israeli officials and high-ranking officials, including former head of the Israeli Navy Eliezer Marom and former ThyssenKrupp representative in the Jewish state Miki Ganora.
Netanyahu has not yet been involved in the “Case 3000”. Nevertheless, the police interrogated him as a witness in 2018 as part of this investigation. Currently, the Jerusalem District Court is considering three cases of bribery and other violations against Netanyahu, who headed the cabinet from 2009 to 2021. The former prime minister himself has repeatedly denied all the accusations against him.
Israel, under Netanyahu, purchased from Germany six Dolphin-class submarines, considered the most expensive weapons of the national army, as well as several missile boats. All ships have already been delivered to the Israeli military. Already with the current premiere, on January 20, the Israeli Ministry of Defense signed an agreement with the German defense department and ThyssenKrupp on the development and production of three new submarines for the Israeli Navy for € 3 billion.
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