Attorney general says decision on state probe into October 7 should wait for next government

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara says the government should hold off on forming an inquest into the October 7 massacre until after elections, while chiding the political leadership for failing to do so until now.

In an opinion on the matter submitted to the High Court of Justice, Baharav-Miara notes that elections are coming up and therefore, since so much time has passed already, she “proposes allowing the next government to address the issue and make a decision on the matter.”

The government has steadfastly refused to appoint a state commission of inquiry into the catastrophe, instead pushing for a government-backed probe with a mandate determined by the ruling coalition, giving it greater control over the potentially damning findings.

In the filing, Baharav-Miara says a state commission is “clearly the most appropriate legal tool for investigating the events of October 7 and the war,” but it should have been appointed long ago.

“It’s been two years and 10 months since the war broke out and the government still hasn’t made a decision,” she writes. “This state of affairs, extremely unusual in and of itself, raises many problems and could harm the effectiveness of a future inquiry and cause evidentiary damage.”

Elections are scheduled for October 27, though it can take over a month for a government to be formed.