Jerusalem, 21 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s State Commission of Inquiry into the submarine and warship procurement affair will begin hearing testimony on Nov. 1 from officials summoned as part of proceedings concerning warnings that the commission issued to individuals who could be personally implicated in its findings. Those summoned include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
The commission announced Wednesday that it would hear testimony in November and December from Netanyahu, Zamir, former President Reuven Rivlin, former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and other senior figures. Netanyahu is scheduled to testify on Dec. 7.
The so-called “Submarine Affair” centers on major naval procurement deals with German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp, including the purchase of three submarines for approximately 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) and Saar 6-class missile ships for about 430 million euros ($482 million).
The transactions raised questions about alleged corruption, conflicts of interest and whether commercial considerations influenced decisions involving Israel’s national security. Investigators also examined the decision to expand the submarine fleet, the cancellation of an international tender for the warships, and Israel’s approval of German submarine sales to Egypt, which raised concerns about preserving Israel’s military advantage.
In 2021, indictments were filed against several people in connection with alleged bribery, including Mickey Ganor, ThyssenKrupp’s former Israeli representative, who had signed a state-witness agreement. Ganor later withdrew from the agreement, alleging that investigators had pressured him to provide a false account. After lengthy proceedings, a court rejected his bid to exclude his statements to police from evidence.
The commission, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Asher Grunis, sent warning letters in June 2024 to Netanyahu, Ya’alon, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, former Navy commander Ram Rothberg and former senior naval officer Avner Simhoni. The letters informed them that the commission’s findings could implicate them personally in failures related to the procurement deals.
In Netanyahu’s case, the commission said its findings could implicate him in harming national security, seriously and systematically disrupting government decision-making, and damaging Israel’s foreign relations and economic interests.
