Moving quickly, the submarines breached the water's surface, leaving behind them a long trail of white foam that covered the sour faces of the opposition, keyboard warriors, fake news commentators and professional protesters who hung their hopes on the findings of the investigation into Case 3,000, which focused on alleged corruption surrounding Israel's decision to procure submarines from Germany. Never before have had so many people hung so much hope on so few submarines.
Channel 10 reporter Raviv Drucker exposed the submarine acquisition case in late 2016, seemingly convinced that doing so would bring him into the pantheon of the Israeli press, whose members include veteran journalist Dan Margalit. It was Margalit who in 1977 succeeded in bringing down then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin via media investigation. Rabin resigned after Margalit revealed that the prime minister and his wife Leah had a U.S. bank account, which was illegal in Israel at the time.
As is the norm in these days, Case 3,000 was marketed to the public with evil sophistication, with one media outlet quoting another until they had all joined the "We finally got Netanyahu" party. Countless newscasts focused on the investigation, with every program opening with a picture of Netanyahu on a submarine. The attempt to incriminate Netanyahu in the mind of the public went on long after the State Attorney's Office announced he was not even a suspect in the affair.
Abysmal Bibiphobic hatred is the only thing that could serve as the basis for the wickedness of blaming the prime minister, as if he had neglected state security for his personal gain. One need not be a military expert to understand the urgency in acquiring submarines in response to the significant existential threats Israel faces.
Israelis have long been used to the fact that the war on Netanyahu is without borders, limits or even discretion. Anything and everything is on the table as long as it takes down the right-wing government and puts Israel back in the control of the Left. Ever since 1977, members of the Left have been convinced they have been robbed of the state, which they seem to believe had been registered in their name at the Israel Land Authority.
Those familiar with the conduct of politicians and media figures know that none of them have ever apologized to Netanyahu for the years of defamation and false accusations he has endured, let alone the attempts to take him down. Responding to the report on the submarine case, Labor Party leader Avi Gabbay went even farther when he reacted in the accepted Bolshevik tradition: If Netanyahu knew about the illicit deal, Gabbay said, then he is a criminal. And if he knew nothing, he should resign. A most peculiar claim, don't you think?
Now that we know that Netanyahu has nothing at all to do with Case 3,000, the old familiar faces will continue to try and advance their malicious plot by insinuating that his former lawyer David Shimron, who police have recommended be indicted in the submarine affair, was in fact acting at his behest.
There is no question that Case 3,000 raises complicated and fundamental questions concerning the acquisition and sale of military equipment. Former senior officials are involved in this matter, including presidents, prime ministers, commanders, Mossad officials and state employees. It is a real shame that the issue was only made a priority because of the sense Netanyahu could be inserted into the story. When it comes to other people, the purists and the self-righteous do not protest at all. Regrettably, it seems highly unlikely that the political and cynical use of the submarine acquisition will be looked into, as it so rightfully should.
