Netanyahu accuses opposition of blocking Oct. 7 probe that would enjoy broad support

Speaking in the Knesset plenum, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses the opposition of standing in the way of a commission of inquiry into the failure to prevent the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, that enjoys broad consensus.

Netanyahu, who has resisted forming any such probe for over two years, opposes an independent state commission, which opinion polls consistently show is the public’s preferred option. The premier, who publicly backed state commissions of inquiries until 2022, now contends that such a panel would be biased against him since its members would be tapped by Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, whom the current government views as adversarial.

Speaking at the plenum, the premier claims that the members of a state commission would be chosen by only one side of the political spectrum, and that supporters of his government will not accept its legitimacy.

Netanyahu notes that in his proposal, half of the commission members are chosen by the government, and half by the opposition. The commission members will have the power to “ask what they want, and to bring whoever they want [for questioning,” he says.

Critics have argued that such a commission would be highly politicized since all its members will have been selected by politicians who want to avoid being found responsible for the failures, and that it will be bogged down by disagreements and face major difficulties in mustering a majority for any conclusion.