April 07, 2018
Chancellor Angela Merkel
Justice and Consumer Protection Minister Katarina Barley
By email: Tel-Aviv Consulate, and the Chancellor's portal
By fax: Ministry of Justice
RE: Israeli submarine purchase agreement (MOU) -- request for reconsideration and immediate suspension
Confirmation of receipt by email is kindly requested.
Dear Hon Chancellor Merkel and Hon Justice and Consumer Protection Minister Barley:
As a concerned dual German-Israeli citizen I write to request that you reconsider your position regarding Israeli submarine purchase agreement (MOU) and affect its immediate suspension.
According to Israeli media, the GFR signed an agreement (MOU) for the purchase of 3 submarines from Thyssenkrupp, but " Germany had conditioned the go-ahead on there being no corruption found on the part of the Israeli decision-makers and senior officials involved." [ i ]
However, due investigation and justice in this matter by the Israeli law and justice agencies is highly unlikely:
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Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, a close confidant of Prime Minister Netanyahu, oversees the investigation and holds the sole decision making authority relative to filing indictments. Mandelblit is widely perceived as plagued with conflicts of interest in Netanyahu's corruption investigations. [ ii ] Following a recent scandal involving Supreme Court Presiding Justice Esther Hayut, suspicions are mounting relative to integrity of the AG appointment process itself. [ iii ] Former Shin-Bet Head Yuval Diskin said: "The attorney general must reveal whether he was asked for his opinion on the Sara Netanyahu case by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or anyone on his behalf before being appointed; if it turns out he failed to report such an appeal, he must resign immediately." [ iv ] Regardless, Mandelblit refuses to recuse himself or resign.
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In November 2016, prior to in-depth investigation, AG Mandelblit stated, "no crime suspected in PM's submarine deal". [ v ] In October 2017, media reported that the agreement (MOU) was signed following determination by senior Justice Ministry officers, overseen by Mandelblit himself, that "the corruption did not reach the roots of the deal."[ vi ] By now, after Netanyahu's close confidants were investigated, including former Minister Mordecai Sandberg, former Deputy Head of National Security Council Avriel Bar-Yosef, and State Witness agreements were signed, it is obvious how ludicrous such statements are.
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In July 2017, former Defense Minister Ya'alon, whose dismissal was correlated with the submarine purchase deal, and was possibly affected to facilitate the deal, stated, "no way Netanyahu not involved in submarine affair". [ vii ]
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In recent months it has become increasingly obvious that the investigation is specifically managed to prevent cancellation of the purchase agreement, but not necessarily for seeking the truth in the matter. [ viii ]
The GFR actions are reportedly guided by commitment for Israel's security on the hand, and on the other hand -- by compliance with OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.
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