German Subs Case Resurfaces in Israel Parliament

The case of alleged kickbacks in Israel's purchase of German submarines resurfaced Wednesday with the cancellation of a vote in parliament demanding the creation of a commission of inquiry.

MPs at first voted 25 to 23 in favor of setting up an independent commission, in the absence of dozens of members of the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

But parliament speaker Yair Levin, who is close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered a second vote, boycotted by the opposition, in which the motion was defeated 40-0.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid protested he had "never" witnessed such a "cancellation of a democratic decision" in his eight years as a parliamentarian.

To opposition cries of "shame", the speaker explained that he had called the rerun because of irregularities in the first vote.

Israel's attorney general has said he plans to indict prominent figures, including Netanyahu's lawyer David Shimron, for alleged money laundering in the $2-billion submarines deal.

Netanyahu himself in May became the only sitting head of government in Israel's history to face trial on corruption charges.