The state commission of inquiry investigating the Submarine – and naval vessel – Affair will begin closed-door hearings on personal responsibility on November 1, focusing on the evidence relating to the personal warnings it issued, the commission announced on Wednesday.
That this phase would begin in November was already known in July, but the witness list had not yet been announced. Among the witnesses are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, and former president Reuven Rivlin.
The hearings will run through November and December. Other witnesses include former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, Navy commander V.-Adm. Eyal Harel, and former Navy commanders Eli Sharvit and Ram Rothberg.
The proceedings center on warnings issued in June 2024 to Netanyahu, Ya’alon, Cohen, Rothberg, and former National Security Council official Avner Simhoni. The warnings notified them that the commission’s eventual findings could adversely affect them, allowing them to examine evidence and challenge the preliminary conclusions before personal responsibility is determined.
Being summoned as a witness does not mean an official received such a warning. Zamir is not among the five warned officials, nor is Rivlin. The hearings allow those facing possible adverse findings to question witnesses and present evidence in their defense; the commission has emphasized that its conclusions could change after that process.
Chaired by former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis, the commission was established in January 2022 to examine how political and professional officials handled decisions concerning submarine and naval vessel purchases. Its work also covers Israel’s consent to Germany selling submarines to Egypt.
The inquiry is separate from the criminal proceedings known as Case 3000, which concern alleged corruption surrounding naval purchases from German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp. Netanyahu was not charged in that case. The commission is examining the decision-making behind the deals and whether officials bear public responsibility for failures in that process.
Commission indicates that Netanyahu's conduct disrupted security-related decisions
In its warning to Netanyahu, the commission said its evidence indicated that his conduct had disrupted decision-making on sensitive security matters, endangered national security, and harmed Israel’s foreign relations and economic interests.
The concerns included decisions taken without an orderly process, agreements reached with Germany while bypassing relevant officials, and the exclusion of security bodies from discussions. The commission’s concerns also extended to Netanyahu’s approval of submarine sales to Egypt without informing senior Israeli defense officials.
Netanyahu rejected the criticism when the warnings were issued in June 2024. His office argued that the submarines were essential to Israel’s security, particularly against Iran, and said the purchases protected the country’s existence. It maintained that history would vindicate his decisions.
Back in September, ahead of the hearings, Netanyahu’s legal team had not yet submitted a list of defense witnesses.
The personal-responsibility hearings follow a separate report on systemic failures issued earlier this year. In Wednesday’s announcement, the commission said that report identified serious flaws in security decision-making and included recommendations to correct them.
That report addressed institutional failures without reaching personal conclusions against the warned officials. The forthcoming hearings will give them an opportunity to challenge the evidence before the commission completes that part of its work.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.