Several Israeli army leaders are running a media campaign in support of Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s request to launch a probe into a deal to purchase submarines and warships from a German company, in an attempt to reveal former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s role in it.
Former head of the defense ministry’s political-security department Amos Gilad and the former deputy chief of staff, Dan Harel, lead the campaign.
"High-ranking political figures, a group of beneficiaries and several officers are most probably involved in this case," Harel said on Monday.
He echoed a statement by former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, who considered it “the gravest corruption case in Israel’s history.”
“I have submitted to the cabinet secretary a proposal for the formation of a state commission of inquiry into the purchase of the submarines and naval vessels,” Gantz said.
“The formation of the commission is critical for the defense establishment and the State of Israel — if we do not uncover the truth, we will not be able to learn lessons for the future,” he added.
“This is not a personal matter. It is a national imperative,” he underlined.
Netanyahu’s government has been accused of concluding a deal to buy three submarines from a German industrial company without taking the army’s approval.
The charges include bribery, money laundering and fraud. Several officers and senior officials have been suspected to be involved in the case.
However, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit refused to include Netanyahu on the list of defendants, which is why his opponents insist on launching an official investigation.
Netanyahu is currently being tried on three corruption cases, and court sessions are being held three times a week.
He was charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases in which he is accused of trading regulatory or legislative favors in exchange for lavish gifts and favorable news coverage.
Netanyahu has professed innocence in all three, saying the charges are trumped up by a biased justice system egged on by a liberal media.
