Netanyahu is warned by panel investigating submarine purchase
A commission in Israel investigating suspected wrongdoing involving government purchases of German submarines and missile ships issued a warning on Monday to Benjamin Netanyahu.
The panel informed Netanyahu that, based on the evidence collected so far, they could determine that he used his position as Prime Minister between 2009 and 2016, to approve the purchases without following due process.
In its decision published on Monday, the panel stated that "by doing so, Netanyahu endangered the state's security and damaged the state of Israel’s economic and foreign relations."
In response, Netanyahu said that Israel's submarines are essential to its security in order to "ensure its existence against Iran which is trying destroy us".
The statement released by his office stated that "History will show that Prime Minister Netanyahu made the right decision for Israel's security on this issue and in other issues."
The commission established by the previous government 2022 will publish soon unclassified portions of the evidence gathered during the investigation into the deal worth hundreds of millions dollars.
Since the attack of Hamas-led fighters on Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 Jews and took 250 hostages into Gaza, according to Israeli statistics, Netanyahu has been struggling to salvage his reputation as a security leader. Gaza's health officials estimate that more than 37,000 Palestinians have died in the Israeli attack on Gaza. Reporting by Steven Scheer, Editing by Peter Graff