Police chief: I accept blame for Meron deaths, am ready to step down

6 March 2024, 1:26 pm

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Outgoing Northern District Commander Shimon Lavi (R) and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai (R) at Mount Meron ahead of the tragedy, April 29, 2021 (Israel Police)

Police chief Kobi Shabtai says he accepts responsibility for his role in the Meron disaster and is ready to step down once the government decides he should, welcoming a report that finds him and other top officials personally responsible for the deadly 2021 crush.

“Commissioner Shabtai, as he has always done in all his roles, accepts full responsibility,” a police statement says. “Commissioner Shabtai asked to resign at the start of the year, but acceded to the government’s request that he remain given the war situation. Commissioner Shabtai will step down, after 40 years of service, once the government decides on it.”

Others named in the report, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, have yet to respond.