Submarine Commission to Summon Netanyahu, Zamir, and Other Senior Officials for Closed-Door Testimony

The state commission of inquiry into the submarine affair announced Wednesday that it will summon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Navy Commander Eyal Harel to testify behind closed doors. Several former senior officials will also be summoned, including former President Reuven Rivlin, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, former Major General Yaakov Amidror, and former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon.

Starting November 1, the commission, headed by retired Chief Justice Ashal Grunis, will enter its next phase. During this stage, Netanyahu and the four other individuals who received warning letters are expected to appear, present their own witnesses, and defend themselves against allegations. Their aim is to persuade the commission members to alter their conclusions and avoid personal recommendations.

However, it remains unclear how Netanyahu intends to conduct his defense, as no one on his behalf has yet reviewed the investigation materials or submitted a list of witnesses. Reports from September indicated that Netanyahu had not provided his list of witnesses for the defense stage, a week after the deadline for the five warned senior officials had passed. This action, along with his lawyer's failure to review the investigation materials, follows a warning letter stating Netanyahu harmed national security and foreign relations.

While Netanyahu has not submitted his witness list or reviewed the materials, the other four warned individuals have provided their lists. Former Defense Minister Ya'alon submitted a list of nine witnesses and requested to testify himself. Not all individuals on the lists have been summoned; for instance, Yossi Cohen's requests to summon former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and MK Avigdor Lieberman were not included in the commission's published list.

Two other warned individuals, former Navy Commander Ram Rotberg and former National Insurance Institute employee Avner Shimoni, have also been summoned. The commission previously reprimanded Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Haddad, in April for requesting extensions, citing a heavy workload due to the "Trial of the Ages." The commission noted that unlike other warned parties, Netanyahu was not required for daily testimony in the criminal proceedings and his representatives could have reviewed the materials 15 months prior. The commission also pointed out that despite Netanyahu's petition to the High Court claiming he needed more than two lawyers, his representatives only completed security clearance for Haddad, even though he was authorized to have two lawyers.

In June 2024, the commission sent warning letters to Netanyahu, Cohen, Ya'alon, Rotberg, and Shimoni. Netanyahu's letter stated he could be implicated if it's determined that between 2009 and 2016 he made decisions impacting national security and the IDF's force buildup. The commission emphasized that his conduct "led to deep and systematic disruption in work processes and force buildup, and to damage in decision-making mechanisms on a series of sensitive issues," thereby "endangering the state's security and harming foreign relations and the economic interests of the State of Israel."