- https://twitter.com/bogie_yaalon?lang=en – Twitter-Account of Mosche Jaalon – in Hebrew
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-pms-lawyer-spoke-to-government-figures-on-behalf-of-german-firm/
November
Israeli Attorney General Ordered Police to Investigate Israel´s latest Submarine Deal
The Israeli Ministry of Justice informed the press on 23 November 2016 that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit ordered the police to investigate Israels latest order on three Dolphin II-class submarines from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). Newly attained information made that step necessary after first investigations had been opened by Attorney General´s office on 20 November 2016 beginning to turn this deal in a affair of state.
The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed this submarine deal through against opposition from the Israeli ministry of defence and Israeli business persons, as we reported in Flotsam October.
The former Israeli defense minister Mosche Ya’alon published a statement on Facebook on 17 November 2016. He wrote that he always held the view, that three submarines were too many, even if in ten years these boats were delivered only as a replacement for the then outdated first three Dolphin-class submarines commissioned in 1999. Jaalon resigned as defense minister per twitter and Facebook on 19 May 2016, so it seems likely to him, that the deal has been arranged behind his back while he was still in office. He was irritated by the latest disclosures of the Israeli journalist Raviv Drucker and asked for a “thorough probe by the relevant authorities” in this matter.
The Israeli investigative journalist Raviv Drucker revealed in his TV-show Hamakor (“the source”) on 17 November 2016, that Benjamin Netanyahus personal attorney David Schimron allegedly worked for ThyssenKrupp in Israel mediated by ThyssenKrupp´s exclusive representative in Israel, businessman Michael Ganor. Israeli Media claim that Michael Ganor will receive a commission of 2%.
Now David Schimron is suspected to have used his close his close relationship to Benjamin Netanyahu to push Israel towards this deal and later to allow ThyssenKrupp to open a shipyard in Israel for maintenance on the submarines. The maintenance is still in the hands of the Israeli Navy, but surely would be a lucrative investment for the corporation.
Both Netanyahu and Schimron deny this suspicion. Netanyahu claims that he never spoke with Schimron about the submarine deal. Despite the investigations he wants to adhere to this deal. Shimron stated that he never negotiated with Israeli authorities but only represented Ganor towards ThyssenKrupp.
The German Corporation on it´s hand started an internal investigation focusing on his representative in Israel Michael Ganor.
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