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Netanyahu tries to steer clear of submarine scandal

The latest developments in the submarine scandal are threatening to drag Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into the affair and out of the premier’s seat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu climbs out after a visit inside the Rahav, the fifth submarine in the fleet, after it arrived in Haifa port January 12, 2016. The Dolphin-class submarines, widely believed to be capable of firing nuclear missiles, were manufactured in Germany and sold to Israel at deep discounts as part of Berlin's commitment to shoring up the security of the country set in part as a haven for Jews who survived the Holocaust.REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX221FU
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Maj. Gen. (res.) Eliezer Marom, the former commander of the Israeli navy, has the reputation of being one of the most daring officers in the history of the Israel Defense Forces. On July 11, he earned another, more questionable honor. He is now the first major general to be interrogated by the police for serious crimes, including graft, and to be placed under house arrest. These actions are part of the police investigation of the German submarines purchased by Israel.

Just one day before Marom, who commanded the Israeli navy from 2007 to 2011, was interrogated, police detained the person closest to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attorney David Shimron, who was later placed under house arrest. They also detained Brig. Gen. Avriel Bar Yosef, Netanyahu's former appointee as head of the National Security Council, and businessman Miki Ganor, who negotiated Israel's acquisition of the submarines and other naval vessels from German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp.

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