Opposition MK seeks ‘urgent’ probe into PM’s submarine deal

Left-wing opposition lawmaker Michal Rozin on Saturday urged the Knesset to review a multi-billion shekel deal to purchase German submarines, which was pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in which his personal lawyer is alleged to have a stake.

“I request the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hold an urgent hearing to examine the position of the professional bodies prior to the purchase, to determine whether it was necessary from both budgetary and security standpoint,” Meretz’s Michal Rozin said.

A report aired on Channel 10 television last week alleged that Netanyahu’s attorney David Shimron, who has spent years defending the prime minister against dozens of claims of malpractice and misuse of office for personal gain, presented a serious conflict of interest due to his links to the German shipbuilder attempting to sell the vessels to Israel.

Raviv Drucker’s report said that Shimron serves as the representative of the Germany-based conglomerate ThyssenKrupp, and Netanyahu has been pushing for Israel to buy several ThyssenKrupp submarines against the will of the IDF and former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon.

Last month, the prime minister announced in a cabinet meeting that Israel was in the process of negotiating the purchase of three new submarines for the Israeli Navy, which currently maintains a fleet of five underwater vessels, with another slated to be delivered in coming years.

The new submarines — valued at around NIS 6 billion ($1.5 billion) — were intended as replacements for the military’s older models.

According to Channel 10, neither Ya’alon, who served as defense minister when the deal was first proposed, nor the IDF was in favor of purchasing the new submarines — somewhat of a change of pace in the normal narrative of the defense establishment fighting for acquisitions — as the decision did not fit with the Defense Ministry’s multi-year plan for the army.

But an IDF spokesperson said Thursday that the army did not oppose the purchases, saying in a statement that it informed the cabinet of “the need” for the new submarines.

Shimron’s alleged involvement has raised questions about a possible conflict of interest for both him and the prime minister, especially given Netanyahu’s determination to complete the deal despite the reported IDF opposition.

Netanyahu is said to have started dealings with the German government without informing Ya’alon, who only learned of the plan after news of it leaked out.

Apparently furious, the then-defense minister sparred with Netanyahu in the Prime Minister’s Office, with the two reportedly shouting at one another over the issue.

Ya’alon succeeded in torpedoing the plan, but once he stepped down as defense minister in May Netanyahu renewed the negotiations with the Germans for the new submarines.

On Thursday, Netanyahu denied that he had any prior knowledge of Shimron being involved in the deal, and said the negotiations were done in an “orderly, professional manner with no outside influence and with the recommendation of all the professional bodies in the Defense Ministry, the IDF and the National Security Council.”

Shimron also denied a conflict of interest, saying he “did not discuss these matters with the prime minister,” and denied any effort to influence a decision over the deal.”

Yaalon last week urged a “thorough probe by the relevant authorities” into the “very disturbing” allegations made in the report.

The state prosecution’s office announced that it would look into the matter, according to Channel 2.