Dragon submarine highlights Case 3000 dilemma: Was Netanyahu right for wrong reasons? - analysis
Did the way that Netanyahu concealed the deal from most of the defense establishment endanger national security and foreign relations, and why did he hide the transactions?
The Case 3000 state inquiry has been examining the decision to purchase the Dragon submarine and other Israeli submarines and ships, with a focus on whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's actions were justified or conducted for the wrong reasons. The inquiry began in 2021 and is currently nearing its final stage.
Netanyahu's decision to purchase the submarines in 2012, when he was Prime Minister, has been analyzed in the context of whether the move was driven by genuine concerns for national security or if it was made with other motives in mind. The inquiry is also considering whether concealing the deal from the defense establishment and opposition endangered national security and foreign relations.
Some argue that Netanyahu's forward-looking decision to purchase submarines was justified, as Israel's navy is now confident that the country needs all of the submarines it currently has, including the Dragon. They also point out that Israel's navy had been demanding more armored vehicles to protect soldiers from ambushes in Gaza and Lebanon, but Netanyahu was initially rejecting those requests.
However, during the 2014 conflict with Hamas, many IDF casualties were caused by vehicles that were hit by rocket-propelled grenades or anti-tank weapons. Had those vehicles been armored, more lives may have been saved.
Netanyahu's decision to purchase the submarines was also analyzed in the context of geopolitical tensions, such as disputes over the Straits of Hormuz and Bab El Mandeb. With Turkey increasing its submarine fleet, Netanyahu's decision to acquire more submarines could be seen as a positive forward-looking judgment about Israel's needs, even if it was made for the wrong reasons.
The inquiry also delves into Netanyahu's motives for hiding his moves from the defense establishment and opposition. Some speculate that Netanyahu was afraid of a political battle, while others suggest he wanted sole credit for the submarine's arrival or simply preferred to operate in secrecy. Netanyahu has not fully come forward to defend his decision, which has raised questions about his transparency and potential economic connections to his cousin Natan Milikovsky, as well as his associates who were later indicted.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
