From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Netanyahu, Gantz spar as Knesset rejects bill to establish Oct. 7 state commission of inquiry
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The Knesset plenum rejects a proposal to establish a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7, voting 53-51 against the bill brought by Yesh Atid MK Meir Cohen.
Despite calls Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and opposition lawmakers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that an investigation determining the culpability of the government cannot take place while the war in Gaza is ongoing. He has also been non-committal on establishing a state commission — the investigatory body with the greatest powers — indicating that other formats may be appropriate.
With the mounting pressure, Netanyahu reportedly began looking into Knesset legislation to establish an independent panel headed by a figure of his choosing in June.
Several hours before the Knesset shot down the bill to establish a commission, former war cabinet minister Benny Gantz accused Netanyahu of hesitating and delaying necessary operations in Gaza and stated that “everything will be revealed when the protocols and testimonies are heard by the state commission of inquiry.”
In response, Netanyahu accused Gantz of sharing “fake news” and said that a future probe would let “the public will find out who was looking for excuses to ‘stop the fighting for a year or two’ and who really pushed forward to continue the war until victory.”
Hitting back, Gantz tweeted that he is “waiting for the state commission of inquiry to be established and for the protocols to be revealed in order to draw lessons from the greatest disaster in our history.”
