The state commission investigating Israel’s submarine and naval-vessel affair will begin closed-door hearings in November to determine whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and four former senior officials bear personal responsibility for failures uncovered by the inquiry, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post.

The commission, chaired by retired Supreme Court President Asher Grunis, has scheduled 18 hearing days between November 1 and December 31. Along with Netanyahu, the proceedings involve former Defense Minister Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon, former National Security Council chief Yossi Cohen, former Navy commander Vice Adm. Ram Rothberg and former NSC official Avner Simchoni.

The inquiry centers on a series of multibillion-shekel naval procurement decisions made between 2009 and 2016, including Israel’s purchase of submarines and warships from German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp and Israel’s approval of Germany’s sale of submarines to Egypt. The commission is examining whether political and security officials bypassed proper procedures, failed to establish clear national-security priorities or allowed major purchases to advance without sufficient oversight.

The state commission’s work is separate from the criminal case known as Case 3000, which focused on alleged corruption surrounding the same naval deals. Several people close to Netanyahu were implicated in that case, but Netanyahu himself was not charged.

All five officials received warning notices in June 2024, indicating that the commission was considering findings that could personally affect them. The notices are not final conclusions and allow each official to challenge the evidence, question witnesses and argue against any finding of personal responsibility.

The commission granted the five officials an additional 60 days, until September 15, to submit proposed witness lists and specify the issues they intend to raise. It rejected an explanation from Netanyahu’s attorney that his legal team had been unable to maintain contact with the prime minister because of his ongoing cross-examination in a separate criminal trial.

The panel said Netanyahu was not listed as a prosecution witness in the separate criminal case surrounding the vessel affair and that his attorneys could have begun reviewing the commission’s materials in April 2025. It also noted that each official was permitted two attorneys, while Netanyahu’s team completed the necessary security clearance for only one lawyer, approximately 10 months after the other legal teams.

In a report issued in January, the commission found broad systemic failures in Israel’s national-security decision-making. It said successive governments had failed to set clear security priorities, allowing major defense purchases costing billions of shekels to proceed without enough political oversight or a proper comparison with other military needs.

The commission also criticized the National Security Council for failing to properly prepare and challenge security decisions and found that it had sometimes moved beyond its advisory role into direct involvement in procurement and contacts with commercial parties.

The Navy’s procurement practices also came under sharp criticism. The report said naval officials coordinated positions with commercial entities, presented decision-makers with manipulative information and advanced partially funded purchases that later created pressure to approve billions of shekels in additional spending.

In its preliminary warning to Netanyahu, the commission said it was considering whether his conduct seriously disrupted established decision-making procedures and created risks to Israel’s national security, foreign relations and economic interests.

The warning is not a final determination, and Netanyahu will be able to challenge the evidence and the potential findings during the November and December hearings. Once the personal-responsibility stage is completed, the commission is expected to issue its final report.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)