Defense Minister Bnei Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced today (Friday) that the proposed resolution to establish a state commission of inquiry into the submarine and vessel affair will go up for government approval on Sunday. If the committee is established, there will be three committees of inquiry at the same time: to examine the disaster in Meron, to examine the escape from Gilboa Prison and to deal with the submarines and vessels.
In a joint statement issued by the two ministers on the eve of Shabbat, Gantz said that “the establishment of the commission of inquiry is a necessary move to maintain Israel’s security. This is a national need, and I thank the prime minister, foreign minister, justice minister and all those who support the resolution.” Minister Lapid stated that “the submarine and vessel affair is the most serious security corruption case in the history of Israel and every stone must be turned in order to investigate the truth. This is our commitment to IDF soldiers, to the citizens of Israel.”
The Likud issued a statement saying: “As this government lowers the country, it is trying to divert public attention in a cycle of further idle investigation. The public sees the failure and this government will be quickly replaced.”
As early as the end of October, Defense Minister Bnei Gantz submitted to the Government Secretariat the decision of the Ministry of Defense, in coordination with the Ministry of Justice, to establish a state commission of inquiry into the purchase of submarines and vessels. However, the defense minister agreed with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that the proposal would be discussed only after the budget was passed. Now the prime minister, Foreign Minister Lapid, Justice Minister Saar and Defense Minister Ganz have agreed to approve the proposal – probably as early as next week.
Subject to government approval – a state commission of inquiry will be set up in the submarine procurement case. Defense Minister Bnei Gantz: “Establishment of the necessary committee for the defense establishment and the State of Israel”@ItayBlumental @almog_tamar
Photo: Ministry of Defense spokeswoman pic.twitter.com/QHeJAChkI6– News here (@kann_news) October 31, 2021
In early October, Justice Minister Gideon Saar said he had given the green light for him to set up a state commission of inquiry into the affair, also known as the “3000 case.” In an interview with Tamar Almog and Vigal Guetta on the “Shelly Guetta” program here on Net B, Saar announced that the agreement to Defense Minister Ganz’s proposal was obtained after joint staff work between his ministry and the Ministry of Defense.
Listen to the interview with Justice Minister Gideon Saar here on Net B.
Last July, Justice Minister Saar and Defense Minister Gantz agreed to jointly examine the possibility of establishing a state commission of inquiry into the affair, following a confrontation between them on the issue. At the end of June, a personal conversation took place between Ganz and Saar, in which Blue-White Chairman and New Hope Chairman said that he was very interested in promoting the establishment of a submarine investigation committee, and Saar replied that he would not do so in media and suggested that they coordinate with the Attorney General However, Ganz chose a different approach and issued messages to the media on the subject.
In the previous government, Ganz appointed an office commission of inquiry headed by retired Judge Strashnov. The committee did not start its activities due to difficulties in gaining authority, and then with the announcement of elections, the defense minister decided to suspend efforts to establish it.
The lawyer for Abriel Bar-Yosef, the former deputy head of the National Security Council and one of the suspects involved in the affair, Adv. Jacques Chen, said: “We welcome the decision to establish a state commission of inquiry into the purchase of vessels and submarines. This is transparent, for political and cynical reasons.They are assured that as they came to curse, they went out to bless those whom they seek to eliminate.
“In such a commission of inquiry, the involvement of senior officials in all systems who are not accused and not the heads of the committee’s pharmacists will float – senior members of the army, the military prosecutor’s office, the National Security Council, the most senior officials in the government, their aides and other accountants. All those who could lie under the guise of fog, who filed affidavits contradicting their testimony to the police, and those who have so far dragged their feet for understandable reasons with butter smeared on their heads, will actually be required to give explanations for their actions. Tear the mask off the cynical face of many eyeballs. The truth when you go out will shake the forearms. ‘