PM said to claim half of Israelis oppose state probe into Oct. 7, contrary to polls
Netanyahu reportedly raises voice, bangs hand on table in discussion with reservists; later says probe should be made up of equal number of government, opposition members
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday reportedly raised his voice in a meeting with reservist soldiers while claiming “half” the public opposes the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to investigate the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, terror onslaught by Hamas, according to a Hebrew media report.
“Half the nation wants Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to decide, and everything will be all right. Half of the nation won’t accept this, and therefore the only way to do this is to get away from these two entities,” the Ynet news site quoted Netanyahu as saying during a meeting with reserve soldiers at the Tzeelim training base in southern Israel.
The premier then reportedly raised his voice and banged on the table, adding, “You think someone here really knows what happened? Each time I discover interesting things.”
Despite Netanyahu’s assertion, polls have consistently shown an overwhelming majority of Israelis support a state commission of inquiry into October 7, including a survey last month that found 75 percent of Israelis back such a commission.
The ongoing war was triggered by the Hamas invasion, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw 251 abducted as hostages to Gaza.
Following the meeting with reservists, Netanyahu said in a video posted to Instagram that the most important thing was to investigate “the truth” and “everyone,” but added he was searching for an “alternative” to an independent state commission of inquiry and a government commission of examination.
“One of the ideas is that the opposition and coalition give the same number of members, and together they will issue the necessary reports. Another idea is that a Knesset supermajority of 80 MKs will determine the [committee’s] composition,” he said.
Critics say Netanyahu is seeking to establish a panel with fewer powers than a state commission and with representatives of his own choosing because he fears a state commission — which would typically be headed by a retired Supreme Court justice — would implicate him in the disaster. A state commission is the body that enjoys the broadest powers under Israeli law, including the authority to subpoena witnesses.
A governmental commission of examination has narrower powers than a state commission and is seen as more political since its members are appointed by the government.
On Monday, the government decided to seek to establish a “special” commission to probe the devastating Hamas-led invasion, but rejected a call from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for an official state commission of enquiry, which would have the broadest powers, Hebrew media reported.
At present, the members of a state commission of inquiry are appointed by the Supreme Court president, but several cabinet members have made hostile comments regarding current president Amit, and said the chair of the commission who appoints its members should be approved by a two-thirds majority in the Knesset, Channel 12.
Almost 19 months after the onslaught, the government hasn’t said what sort of inquiry it supports, and hasn’t taken any steps to form one.
The attorney general in the past said that assuring the International Criminal Court that Israel would probe the war could stave off the court issuing arrest warrants on war crimes charges for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. While it is not clear what assurances Israel gave the court, the ICC did eventually issue warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
State commissions of inquiry have been established in the past to look into other military failures, including the events of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon in 1982.
A government commission of inquiry, in which the government appoints the members of the commission, was established to investigate the failures of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, although it was granted some of the powers of the more rigorous and independent state commissions, including the power to subpoena witnesses.
The Times of Israel Community.