Former DM Ya'alon: I opposed the purchase of three new submarines
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon spoke out on social media Thursday stating that he had been opposed to the purchase of three new Navy submarines from Germany.Ya'alon had been defense minister when negotiations began.According to an earlier report by Channel 10, Netanyahu began negotiations with the Germans without telling Ya’alon. Ya’alon had initially succeeded in stopping the planned purchase, but after he stepped down as defense minister, Netanyahu renewed the negotiations with Berlin.Last month, The Jerusalem Post reported that the deal was expected to be wrapped up by November. But the cost of these Dolphins is reportedly NIS 1.65 billion ($433 million) per submarine, meaning a total price tag of NIS 5b. ($1.3b.), a significant sum for a country whose defense budget is already strained by the acquisition of the new F-35 for the Israel Air Force.ANNA AHRONHEIM and GIL HOFFMAN contributed to this report.
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