Retired Supreme Court justice Asher Grunis will no longer lead the commission of inquiry into the Submarine Affair, the Courts Administration announced on Sunday. The decision comes shortly before the panel is due to open hearings on personal responsibility.
Supreme Court President Isaac Amit named retired Supreme Court justice Zvi Zylbertal as the new chair. Zylbertal had already been one of the commission's five members, so former Central District Court President Judge Ruth Lorch was appointed to fill the seat he left.
Grunis, 81, told Amit on Friday that medical circumstances over the coming months would keep him from taking part in the hearings, which are scheduled for November and December. According to the announcement, he asked to be replaced because delaying the hearings would harm the commission's work.
The commission was set up in 2022 to look into how political and professional officials handled decisions on buying submarines and naval vessels between 2009 and 2016. Its mandate also covers plans to privatize naval shipyards and Israel's consent to Germany selling submarines to a third country. A government decision created it on January 23, 2022, and appointments followed on February 20 of that year.
In January, the commission released a report on systemic failures. It looked at flaws in decision-making and defense procurement, including the political leadership's failure to set clear policy, and it proposed changes.
The next stage begins on November 1, when the commission is due to hear testimony on personal responsibility. The sessions will be held behind closed doors and will center on evidence tied to the personal warnings the commission issued. The other panel members are economist Prof. Karnit Flug, a former governor of the Bank of Israel, Gideon Frank, a former director-general of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, and Prof. Jacob Bortman of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Those expected to testify include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, former president Reuven Rivlin, former defense minister Moshe "Bogi" Ya'alon, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, Navy commander V.-Adm. Eyal Harel, and former Navy commanders Eli Sharvit and Ram Rothberg.
The proceedings revolve around warnings sent in June 2024 to Netanyahu, Ya'alon, Cohen, Rothberg and former National Security Council official Avner Simhoni. The warnings told them the commission's eventual findings could harm them, giving them the chance to examine evidence and challenge the preliminary conclusions before personal responsibility is decided. Being called as a witness does not mean an official received such a warning. The commission has stressed that its conclusions could change after the hearings.
Amit wished to "express deep appreciation" to Grunis "for his dedicated and professional work and important contribution" since the commission was established. The inquiry is separate from the criminal proceedings known as Case 3000, which concern alleged corruption, while the commission examines decision-making and public responsibility around the deals.
