Netanyahu appears unlikely to contest findings of the Case 3000 state inquiry: his team has not reviewed the full allegations file or submitted a witness list before the final stage begins Nov. 1. A 2024 interim warning said his conduct endangered national security.
The inquiry said Netanyahu bypassed almost the entire national-security establishment to approve submarines and other naval vessels, and viewed his approval for Germany to sell submarines to Egypt as problematic. It said the concealment left defense officials acting without full information and at times undermined Israel's relations with Germany and Egypt. Netanyahu has broadly denied making errors, citing the navy's need for more submarines and his wider view of Israel's foreign affairs, but has not addressed the specific concealment allegations.
The state inquiry is separate from the ongoing criminal Case 3000 bribery trial in Tel Aviv District Court. Netanyahu was never a criminal defendant; former attorney-general Avichai Mandelblit said there was no strong evidence he knew several aides were involved in the alleged bribery scheme, and prosecutors did not reopen a probe after the inquiry's warning. The other four officials given interim warnings—Moshe Yaalon, Yossi Cohen, Ram Rothberg and Avner Simhoni—have had legal teams review the file; Cohen is expected to call up to 19 witnesses.
