Report: PM wants Oct. 7 probe’s mandate to appear broad, but actually be comfortable to him

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to fast-track the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, Channel 12 news reports, citing unnamed sources close to the premier.

Earlier today, the government reportedly decided to set up its own investigative committee rather than the state commission of inquiry traditionally formed to investigate such events and supported by a majority of Israelis.

According to the network, Netanyahu has been holding ongoing consultations in recent weeks and months, including with senior legal experts, aimed at crafting a mandate that “appears broad, but is in practice comfortable for the political leadership.”

Ministers who have spoken with Netanyahu reportedly believe he is aware that the public will not accept anything less than a full state commission, the report says. As a result, he is said to be pushing for his current government to establish the committee now, creating a “fait accompli” that would supposedly prevent a future government from forming a state commission of inquiry of its own.

According to the Channel 12 report, Netanyahu has remarked in recent closed conversations: “I haven’t established even one state commission of inquiry during my tenure — only governmental or parliamentary committees.”

While this is factually correct, the network notes the comment is striking given the gravity of October 7.