Likud: Commission should probe current government for delay in submarine purchase

Opposition chief Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party reacts to the opening of a commission of inquiry into the submarine affair by saying the first thing it should probe is “how those who for years opposed the purchase of three additional submarines suddenly approve the procurement, and for extra billions of shekels at the public’s expense that would have been saved had the submarines been acquired on time.”

The statement refers to last week’s eventual approval of the sale that had been mired in corruption at the time Netanyahu was prime minister. The cost of the vessels went up by a lot in the interim.

“The purchase of the submarines is vital for Israel’s security, and it’s a scandal that it was delayed until now because of failed politicians who harmed national security to serve baseless political claims,” Likud says.