Gantz, Sa’ar spar on Submarine Affair
Justice minister says department did not get proposal from defense minister
Defense Minister Benny Gantz will call for a vote on the formation of a state inquiry into the so-called “Submarine Affair,” his office announced on Wednesday, a move outwardly protested by Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar. independently, in contrast to the ministry committee” that Gantz had tried to establish in light of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to the state inquiry.
“I expect that this time, all government ministers will support the establishment of the committee,” Gantz said Saturday. “The question marks must not be left open, and conclusions must be drawn.”
The announcement of the draft angered Sa’ar, who released a sternly worded response, saying that his ministry had not received a draft proposal on forming the commission. Sa’ar referred reporters to a clause in the coalition agreement prohibiting ministers from submitting proposals that are within the authority of another minister.
“This behavior of hurrying to put out press releases on proposals without first discussing and coordinating them is unprofessional and unacceptable,” Sa’ar’s spokesman said. “Forming a commission of inquiry is a weighty issue. Hurrying and proceeding without deliberations cannot be accepted.”
In November, Gantz had said that he would set up a government committee of inquiry to investigate the procurement of
new submarines and vessels from Germany, also known as Case 3000, but then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to approve it.
Gantz then appointed retired judge Amnon Straschnov, who was chief military prosecutor, to lead the inquiry. Alongside him, Gantz appointed Yael Grill, the former head of procurement in the Prime Minister’s Office and head of the economic unit of the Defense Ministry Production and Procurement Directorate, as well as Maj.Gen. (res.) Avraham BenShoshan, a former commander of the Israel Navy and military attaché at the Embassy of Israel in Washington.
According to Globes, the committee’s work was to focus on the procurement of the three new submarines and Netanyahu’s demand for the purchase of a fourth.
The committee did not begin its work due to difficulties in obtaining the authority needed. Then, with the announcement of the fourth round of elections, Gantz decided to suspend efforts to establish it. Since then, indictments have been filed in the case and it’s possible to establish such a committee where the evidence is legally binding.
Gantz’s office has already addressed the office of Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy on the matter; discussion of the subject will take place in the coming days.
The Likud responded by saying that Gantz himself said “dozens of times” that there was no need to investigate the case.
“What will change now that Gantz decides to drag the defense establishment into a political debate? It is unfortunate that even after going through the affair with iron combs and finding nothing – and after former senior members of the National Security Council testified that there was no flaw in the purchase of the submarines and vessels – Gantz continues his blind pursuit against Netanyahu and the Likud,” the statement said.
Israel currently has three Dolphin-class submarines and two Dolphin 2-class ones. The subs are said to have a life of around 30 years, making them obsolete in another 10 years.
The Israel-bound subs in question are said to have 16 multi-purpose torpedo tubes which can fire torpedoes and even swimmer delivery systems. According to foreign reports, these submarines provide Israel with nuclear second-strike capabilities, carrying long-range cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. They would not reach Israel’s coast for another decade.
The “Submarine Affair” is an ongoing scandal involving a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with Germany’s ThyssenKrupp AG conglomerate over several years, including 2016, in which political opponents have made accusations against Netanyahu despite his being cleared by law enforcement.
In December 2019 as well as on other occasions, Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit announced that he will likely indict top officials close to Netanyahu as well as top former naval officials for bribery in advocating the purchase of unnecessary extra submarines and military boats from ThyssenKrupp.
Among those close to Netanyahu and already implicated in the affair are lawyer David Shimron, a confidant and cousin of Netanyahu; David Sharan, a former chief of staff in the Prime Minister’s Office; and Avriel Bar-Yosef, a former deputy national security adviser.
Former naval chief Eliezer Marom and other top officials are also expected to be indicted.
Nevertheless, the attorney-general concluded that there is no proof Netanyahu knew about the scheme – and that, at most, he pushed for buying the vessels under suspicious circumstances.
Gantz’s inquiry was designed to go beyond legal standards of proof to determine if Netanyahu’s conduct in the affair was unethical.