Breaking with PM, Herzog stresses need for launch of state probe into Oct. 7
President says PM’s role in lead-up to Hamas onslaught must be investigated, but doesn’t take stance on whether commission should be appointed by the government
President Isaac Herzog expressed his support for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into Hamas’s October 7 massacre in interviews with major Israeli TV networks on Sunday, placing himself at odds with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has rejected launching such a probe before the ongoing war ends.
Herzog told Channel 13 that a state inquiry was the “correct legal instrument” to investigate the failures that led to the October 7 onslaught and that now is the time to establish one after almost a year has passed since October 7.
In his interview with i24 News, he specifically noted that bereaved families have made clear to him that they want the commission of inquiry to be launched.
He acknowledged in the Channel 13 interview that there’s a debate over whether the probe should be run by an independent state panel or by a committee selected by the government, as was the case with the Winograd Commission, which investigated the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
State commissions of inquiry can either be established by a government resolution or the Knesset’s State Control Committee and are independent panels whose members are selected by the Supreme Court president from among serving or retired Supreme Court or district court judges.
Netanyahu has insisted probes into October 7 failures need to wait until the end of the war and has refused to commit to a state commission of inquiry. Opposition lawmakers, as well as Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have spoken out against such delays.
Herzog told the Kan public broadcaster that Netanyahu’s role in the failures “should be thoroughly investigated,” but refused to say if he thought the premier needed to resign over the matter, as it was a “political” question.
Asked in the interviews if he believed the government was doing enough to return hostages held by Hamas, he answered: “We will know if we did everything when the hostages returned.”
“We very well may have missed opportunities,” he told Kan. “But something very basic needs to be remembered. In the end, [late Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah and [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar have a worldview that was developed after many, many years. They said — how do we break up the Israelis, how do we dismantle their society.”
“We can’t continue as a society without returning the hostages home. We will never understand the hell they are experiencing. There will be a heavy price to pay for a hostage deal, but we need to reach one, and this is another important reason for a national unity government,” he said.
According to a New York Times article last week, US President Joe Biden has taken an increasingly bleak view of chances for a deal, with mediation efforts seemingly on hold as violence in the region threatens to spiral into a wider regional conflict.
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
Herzog told Kan on Sunday he was “shocked” by the abuse families of hostages have received, noting last week’s attack on Eli Albag, whose daughter Liri is held hostage. Eggs were thrown and insults hurled at Albag outside a holiday event in Netanya hosted by Netanyahu’s Likud attended by ministers and MKs from the party.
Herzog said he contacted Likud MK Eli Dalal, who was responsible for the event and put him in contact with Albag after the incident.
“They both said exactly the same thing — Israel needs a hostage deal,” he said.
Speaking to Channel 14 news, Herzog said that he is not thinking about his next job, with his term as president set to end in three years.
“I have no intention of entering politics at the end of my role,” he said, all but dismissing speculation that he still is interested in seeking the premiership.
Herzog has given several interviews with international media outlets since the outbreak of the war, but Sunday evening’s interviews were the first he has given to Hebrew media outlets since October 7.
