Israel’s state commission of inquiry tasked with investigating the submarine affair sent letters to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and four other senior officials Monday warning them they could be harmed by the probe, giving them the opportunity to submit additional testimony or evidence in their defense.
"From the alleged picture emerging at this stage, it appears there have been significant disruptions in the work processes and in the decision-making mechanisms in a series of sensitive issues. This in turn created a risk for the security of the state and damage to Israel’s foreign relations and economic interests," wrote the commission, adding, "The commission decided to send warning letters to the most prominent parties in terms of their responsibility and involvement in the subjects investigated by it."
On Monday the commission asked Netanyahu, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, former naval commander Admiral Ram Rothberg and former National Security Council official Avner Simchoni to inform it within the coming month if they intend to appoint a lawyer to represent them. This move will force them to react in writing to the commission's interim conclusions before it drafts its final report.
In its Monday warning, the commission wrote that Netanyahu may be "harmed" if it reaches any of the following conclusions: that in his position as prime minister, he made significant security decisions outside of established governmental processes; if Netanyahu reached secret understandings with Germany on diplomatic and security issues without involving or consulting the government and if by doing so he turned the National Security Council into an executive body, bypassing the Defense Ministry on issues under its responsibility.
