Public records, testimony appear to undercut Netanyahu claim of Meron ignorance
Minister earlier indicated that crowding was discussed with PM, along with epidemiological issues in lead up to disastrous pilgrimage; watchdog and others rang alarms for years
Testimony from a former minister to the panel investigating the deadly 2021 crush at Mount Meron and other evidence may undercut claims by ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu that he was unaware of the dangerous overcrowding at the event.
Netanyahu, currently opposition leader, on Thursday told the state commission of inquiry into the Meron disaster, in which 45 people were killed during a religious festival, that he did not know of a “critical safety problem,” and thus held no responsibility for the catastrophe which occurred while he was prime minister.
However, Likud politician Amir Ohana, who was public security minister at the time, told the panel two months ago that the safety issues were well known.
The annual pilgrimage at Mount Meron, which marks the anniversary of the death of a second-century rabbi, usually draws hundreds of thousands of people to the northern Israel shrine.
At the time of the pilgrimage last year, COVID-19 pandemic rules limited outdoor gatherings to just 100 people, which meant the Lag B’Omer event at Mount Meron required special government-approved regulations to allow the larger attendance; about 100,000 people gathered.
According to Ohana, during a meeting with the prime minister on the matter ahead of the event, the only talk of crowd size was in relation to the pandemic. “The only reason for the meeting was the coronavirus,” he said.
“Every year we deal with crowding. It wasn’t special. What was special was the epidemiological facet,” he said.
When asked about the public security ministry’s role in preventing overcrowding, Ohana responded that “the epidemiological subject was central in every meeting, but the issue of overcrowding came up as well. We knew there was a real threat.”
It was unclear if he was also referring to the meeting with Netanyahu.
“The only reason we had the meeting was for the coronavirus,” he reiterated at the time.
In testimony on Thursday, Netanyahu pushed back against claims that he should bear some responsibility for the disaster, which was set off when crowds trying to push through a slippery raised walkway began to topple, leading to 45 people being crushed to death and dozens more injured.
“I didn’t know that there was a critical safety problem,” Netanyahu testified. “I take responsibility for what was in front of me, and that was the epidemiological disaster, which I prevented. I can’t take responsibility for what I didn’t know.”
The comments drew swift fire from critics and others, who accused him of trying to shirk responsibility by claiming ignorance of a well-known issue.
“During all of Netanyahu’s [12] years in office, all government ministries knew about the serious dangers [of crowding] at the mount, but chose to stick to a culture of ‘trust me, it’ll be fine,’ which led to this terrible disaster,” said Yisrael Diskin, a brother of one of the victims. “Netanyahu’s answers were not satisfactory, and his claim that he was not aware that the site was a ticking time bomb is no less worrying.”
The subject of Meron was discussed in Knesset committees some 40 times during Netanyahu’s time in office, and at least some were about crowding. It was also addressed in State Comptroller reports in 2008 and 2011.
“The site… is not set up to handle the tens or hundreds of thousands of people who descend on it en masse,” the 2011 report warned. “There’s no way this can continue.”
During the hearing on Thursday, committee head Dvora Berliner, a former justice, challenged Netanyahu to explain why, during his many years in office, the safety issues at the site were never dealt with despite the subject repeatedly being raised. “You were prime minister for 12 years. This issue [of safety at the packed annual event] kept coming up,” noted Berliner. “How, really, do you explain why the matter was not dealt with?”
Netanyahu rejected her suggestion and claimed his government had done more than any others about the matter. “I’m sorry, your honor, I don’t accept your assertion. The issue was dealt with, in accordance with the recommendations of the state comptroller… I dealt with it, I took decisions that were supposed to deal with the various problems at the mount,” he said. “The only governments that did anything about the mount were the governments I led.”
Netanyahu is the most senior official to testify before the committee, which has heard from over 100 others, including former ministers who were in office at the time. Reports have indicated that he is likely to get a slap on the wrist from the panel, in the form of a letter of caution.
On Wednesday, Ynet reported that Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai and other senior officers are expected to be notified within weeks by the commission of inquiry that they are likely to be held responsible for the disaster. These include Northern District chief Shimon Lavi, who on Monday announced his resignation from the force, citing his responsibility in the deadly Mount Meron crush.
While the committee’s recommendations will not obligate a future government to adopt them, no Israeli government has ever completely ignored the recommendations of a state commission of inquiry.
This year’s Lag B’Omer event took place under strict limitations. Authorities instituted several safety measures meant to avoid a repeat of last year’s disaster, capping crowd sizes, requiring tickets, and changing the way the event was organized.
The government also fixed stairs and other infrastructure around the compound to boost safety.
