From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Opposition leaders say Netanyahu fostering division by refusing to establish Oct. 7 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"
Opposition politicians accuse the government of fostering division and demand the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into October 7, as bereaved families clash on the matter amid a High Court hearing.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accuses the government of being “afraid of the truth” while Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman pledges to make establishing a state commission of inquiry the next government’s first decision.
Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot, whose son Gal was killed in the war, notes that Memorial Day was marked this week and says that rather than establishing a proper investigation and “instead of uniting us, the government is leading us to a situation where bereaved families are attacking one another.”
“This is the essence of this government: to stir up strife and discord and refuse to take responsibility,” says Eisenkot.
These clashes, “less than 48 hours” after Memorial Day, “tear the heart,” says Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz. “Israel must go to elections, and establish a broad and Zionist unity government that will stop this fratricidal strife and break down the opposing camps.”
Bereaved families supportive and critical of the government clashed ahead of this morning’s hearing on petitions demanding that the government establish a state commission of inquiry into the events surrounding the catastrophic attack.
The Times of Israel Community.