Prime Minister Netanyahu issues a statement supporting his attorney and cousin David Shimron amid reports Shimron may have been involved in a conflict of interest in helping to facilitate the purchase of German submarines, military boats and maintenance services by the Israeli government.
David Shimron in Tel Aviv on February 17, 2015. (Ben Kelmer/Flash90)
Netanyahu “has for many years known David Shimron Esq. to be straight as an arrow, a man who is over-scrupulous in adhering to the law and regulations, as well as a first-rate lawyer,” the Prime Minister’s Office says in the statement.
On Monday, as persistent reports implied the prime minister himself could be linked to wrongdoing in the submarine affair, coalition chairman David Bitan, considered a confidant of Netanyahu, tweeted an apparent repudiation of Shimron, saying: “There’s no doubt that the criticism should be directed at Shimron rather than Netanyahu.”
Is our live election coverage important to you?
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the 2026 Israeli election? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock to report political developments as they unfold;
Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and podcasts; and
Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including our DocuNationstreaming film series and weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
