As US visit commences, former Israeli officials publish letter highly critical of Netanyahu

Former top Israeli officials of the "defence" establishment have accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "deceit" and causing "significant harm to the security of the State of Israel".   

In a letter that bore the signatures of over 80 senior officials from Israel's military, Mossad, Shin-Bet (Israel Security Agency) and police, Netanyahu has been accused of withholding crucial security information from the Israeli Ministry of Defense for personal gain. The signatories also held the Israeli PM responsible for harming the Israeli judicial system and the Supreme Court. 

The four-page missive included stunning allegations that PM Netanyahu secretly approved the sale of two German submarines to Egypt despite the opposition of the Israeli defence ministry and the intelligence community. Understandings between Germany and Israel require German officials to seek Israeli approval in the sale of sophisticated weapons to countries of the region.

"Internal discussions and risk analysis in Israel between senior defence officials, including the defence minister, the chief of staff, the commander of the navy, the head of the Mossad, and Netanyahu as prime minister, concluded unanimously that it was essential to refuse the German government request since these submarines have weapon systems, a performance envelope, advantages, and qualities that could pose a serious threat to the IDF and the State of Israel", the former officials wrote. 

Despite the Israeli government's opposition, including Netanyahu himself, in March 2015, German sources informed the Israeli Defense Ministry that Netanyahu had "secretly and behind the back of the defence establishment" allowed the Germans to sell two advanced submarines to Egypt. Defense Minister at the time, Moshe Ya'alon, inquired about the matter with Netanyahu, but the latter denied it. 

The situation gets even more bizarre. In May 2015, Israel President Reuven Rivlin met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany. During their meeting, Rivlin sought to ascertain from Merkel if and by whom the sale was approved. 

The Israeli president, the letter added, was shocked to hear from Chancellor Merkel that Netanyahu had personally and in secret approved the German government to sell Egypt two advanced submarines to be manufactured by ThyssenKrupp. President Rivlin immediately reported what he had heard from Chancellor Merkel to Israeli defence officials and to Netanyahu. However, Netanyahu continued to deny this claim. 

It wasn't until March 2019 that Netanyahu confirmed in a live television interview in Israel that he had operated behind the back of the defence establishment and hidden from senior officials, including the defence minister, the chief of staff, the head of the Mossad and others, that he had consented to Germany to build these two advanced submarines for Egypt "in complete contradiction to the strategic decision made formally in Israel", the letter added. 

"We conclude that Netanyahu's destructive conduct against the State of Israel and the defence establishment stems from his own personal considerations, from concern over the very significant charges and accusations against him, and from his acknowledged deception of the entire security and defence establishment".

The accusations were levelled against Netanyahu as he set to meet with US President Joe Biden at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. 

Biden said earlier this year that he had no intention to meet Netanyahu "in the near term," but the US president softened his position in July, paving the way for talks between the leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Israel's N12 news outlet reported that a letter was also forwarded to US senators, including those from the US Senate's Foreign Affairs Committee, and to the senators who are members of the US Military and Intelligence Committee. 

The former Israeli officials further said that Netanyahu's decisions could cause "significant damage" to Israel's national security and the security of Israel's close ally, the USA. 

The US president and some Democratic lawmakers have been critical of Netanyahu's push to overhaul the country's judicial system. The effort to weaken the Israeli Supreme Court and give more power to the governing coalition has drawn intense criticism from Washington, where officials have said the US-Israel alliance must be rooted in a shared approach to democracy.