Updated Knesset agenda drops final votes on coalition’s politically appointed October 7 probe

The government’s bill to establish a political probe into the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack has been removed from an updated Knesset plenum agenda distributed overnight, despite having been expected until yesterday to pass as part of the coalition’s legislative blitz before the Knesset dissolves on Friday ahead of the October 27 election.

No explanation has been given for the bill’s removal, and it remains unclear whether the coalition intends to revive it before the Knesset adjourns.

The highly controversial bill would give the government, which was in power when the attacks took place, the authority to unilaterally appoint the body investigating its own conduct.

The bill passed its first reading last week. Opposition lawmakers boycotted the vote, arguing that it is intended to shield the government from accountability.

The proposal has drawn fierce criticism from legal experts and bereaved and hostage families, who are demanding instead a state commission of inquiry, Israel’s highest investigative authority, which polls have shown is backed by a majority of the public.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a state commission of inquiry because its members are selected by the judiciary, which he claims is biased against him.

Critics accuse the prime minister — who has never accepted explicit responsibility for the Hamas-led invasion attack and has instead deflected responsibility onto security forces, the judiciary, and political opponents — of seeking the politically appointed probe to shield himself and his government from responsibility.