TV report says updated bill forming political Oct. 7 probe would allow comptroller to fill places boycotted by opposition

An updated text of the bill establishing a politically appointed commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre allows the state comptroller to appoint members of the panel that the Knesset House Committee chair and opposition leader have not chosen, Channel 12 news reports, days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal lawyer was elected to the role in a controversial Knesset vote.

The government is advancing the politically appointed commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led assault, though the opposition has demanded that an independent state commission of inquiry be appointed by the Supreme Court president, and has said it would not cooperate with the proposed political panel.

If the bill is passed and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid refuses to appoint his share of members of the panel within 14 days, then Michael Rabello, Netanyahu’s lawyer, who was elected last week, would appoint the rest of the panel.

Knesset House Committee chairman Ofir Katz, of the ruling Likud party, would appoint the other half of the panel, meaning the government could effectively decide who would investigate the massacre that occurred under its watch.

The amendment to the law was made and reported by the network three weeks ago, and Channel 12 notes this was two weeks before Netanyahu secured the Knesset election of his personal attorney as state comptroller.

The government is aiming to advance the bill in the Knesset this week.

Channel 12 also notes that Rabello defended Netanyahu and the coalition’s failure to set up a state commission of inquiry at the High Court of Justice on April 23, arguing to justices that setting up any committee needs to wait till war is over.