Signatories vow to object to 'political cover-up commission'

1,000 people directly impacted by Oct. 7 sign letter urging state commission of inquiry

As Netanyahu government continues to oppose move, which polls show is backed by large majority, 4-page newspaper notice features call by ex-hostages, survivors, bereaved families

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, December 31, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, December 31, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Nearly 1,000 people whose lives were directly affected by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught signed onto a public letter published in several major newspapers Wednesday, demanding that the government immediately establish a state commission of inquiry into the various failures that enabled the biggest disaster in Israel’s history.

The open letter took up four pages in each of the newspapers, due to the large number of signatories.

The signatories included more than 20 survivors of captivity, hundreds of bereaved families, relatives of hostages still held in Gaza, survivors of the onslaught, wounded IDF soldiers, and reservists.

The open letter was spearheaded by the October Council group, which represents families directly impacted by the October 7 massacre — in which some 1,200 were killed, 251 were taken hostage and many others were injured — and has been calling for a state commission of inquiry.

“We, the families who were affected on October 7 and are signed below, demand that the government establish a state commission of inquiry,” the letter stated. “We will stand together as a bulwark against any attempt to establish a political cover-up commission. We will not accept a committee in which the targets of the investigation appoint the investigators.

“Only a state commission of inquiry will have the tools and the mandate to investigate everything and everyone; to uncover the truth; to bring justice to the fallen, the murdered, the victims and their families; to strengthen national security; and to prevent the next disaster.”

An open letter signed by almost 1,000 people whose lives were directly affected by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, published in several major newspapers on January 1, 2025, demanding that the government immediately establish a state commission of inquiry into the failure to prevent the attack. (October Council)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others in his hard-right coalition have resisted the idea of launching a state commission of inquiry, claiming that such a probe would be politically slanted against them since its members would be selected by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and also contending that any probe should only take place after the war is over.

The premier and most of his political allies have refused to acknowledge any responsibility for the multifaceted failures that resulted in the massacre, instead trying to pin the blame on security chiefs and political rivals.

Since its inception, the government has been trying to radically overhaul the justice system, perceiving it as overly activist and biased against the right wing. These efforts have included a still-ongoing attempt to reform the Supreme Court by forcing the appointment of a conservative judge as its chief justice instead of the current active court president, Isaac Amit, and by pushing the candidacy of ultra-conservative jurists to sit on the top court.

Acting Supreme Court President Justice Isaac Amit at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, November 14, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

These efforts have been blasted by judicial officials and the opposition — as well as by most of the public, according to most opinion polls — as undermining Israel’s democratic foundations.

A state commission of inquiry enjoys the broadest powers under Israeli law and is the primary tool for probing major failures by the country’s leaders, security chiefs and state organs. They are typically headed by a retired Supreme Court justice. Esther Hayut would be a potential choice for that role, after her tenure as president of the top court ended a year ago. But Netanyahu is reportedly vehemently opposed to her appointment, given her outspoken criticism of the judicial overhaul efforts.

The coalition has instead been proposing the establishment of a lower-level panel headed by individuals appointed by the government, or a compromise that would form a panel by broad agreement.

But Netanyahu’s opponents have argued that the premier and those in power are trying to evade responsibility for what unfolded on October 7 in order to remain in power. Opinion polls have shown the public overwhelmingly supports forming a state commission of inquiry, even among the coalition’s voter base.

Less than three years ago, while in the opposition, Netanyahu and his political allies led a campaign in favor of forming a state commission of inquiry into a scandal that involved the Israel Police allegedly using powerful spyware to improperly monitor Israeli citizens.

Members of the independent civilian commission of inquiry at the presentation of their findings, November 26, 2024 (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

An independent Civilian Commission of Inquiry — established by relatives of the victims of the attack in light of Netanyahu’s continued refusal to approve a state commission of inquiry — released its findings in November, tearing into Netanyahu and accusing him of undermining the government’s national security decision-making process, creating a rift between Israel’s political and military leadership and leaving the country unprepared for the devastating Hamas onslaught.

The report also alleged the entire government had “failed its primary mission” and that the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet and other organizations “completely failed to fulfill their sole objective — protecting the citizens of Israel.”

Members of the committee cautioned that their work could not replace that of an official probe with the power to subpoena witnesses, but said that what they had heard was extremely concerning.

Most Popular
read more: