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

The State Commission of Inquiry into the Submarine Affair announced on 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 other former senior officials will also be summoned, including former President Reuven Rivlin, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, Major General (Res.) Yaakov Amidror, and former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon.

According to the commission's announcement, the next phase of its work will begin on November 1. During this stage, Netanyahu and the four other individuals who received warning letters are expected to appear, present their 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 his representatives have not yet reviewed the investigation materials or submitted a list of witnesses. Reports from September indicated that Netanyahu had not provided his witness list to the commission even after the deadline for the five warned officials had passed. The commission's warning letter to Netanyahu stated that his actions potentially harmed national security and foreign relations.

While Netanyahu's lawyer has not reviewed the investigation materials, the other four warned officials have submitted their witness lists. Former Defense Minister Ya'alon submitted a list of nine witnesses and requested to testify himself. However, not all requested witnesses 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.

The commission previously reprimanded Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Haddad, in April for requesting extensions due to a heavy workload, noting that Netanyahu was not required to testify daily in his criminal proceedings and that his representatives could have reviewed the materials 15 months prior. The commission also pointed out that despite Netanyahu's petition to the High Court of Justice 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, former Navy Commander Ram Rotberg, and Avner Shimoni. The letter to Netanyahu indicated potential repercussions if it is determined that he made significant decisions regarding national security and the IDF's force buildup between 2009 and 2016. The commission emphasized that his conduct caused "deep and systematic disruption in work processes and force buildup, and damage to decision-making mechanisms on a series of sensitive issues," thereby "endangering national security and harming foreign relations and the economic interests of the State of Israel."