
Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, seen here in uniform at a memorial ceremony for Israelis killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, announced his resignation Jan. 21, 2025. Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
FORWARD | Published January 23, 2025
His coalition’s vote against an investigating commission endangers Israel’s security
There are moments in the life of a person or an institution that embody everything wrong with their character. For Israel’s governing coalition under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, such a moment came this week as it rejected, by 53 to 45 votes, the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the tragic events of Oct. 7.
This decision, made nearly 16 months after the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, is a disgrace that lays bare the coalition’s priorities: avoiding accountability, delaying the truth, and protecting its political survival at the expense of the physical security — and mental health — of its citizens.
The proposed inquiry commission was not a political stunt. It was a necessary and long-overdue step to investigate the events leading up to and on Oct. 7. How was it that those in charge ignored warnings, missed intelligence signs, and left border defenses exposed? Why did it take over 10 hours for Israeli forces to respond to besieged communities in a country as small as Israel? These are the burning questions haunting the public, and the coalition’s refusal to pursue answers is a betrayal of the very citizens it is supposed to serve.
Inquiry commissions led by Supreme Court judges are a well-established mechanism in Israel’s democracy, tasked with investigating matters of national importance. The 1974 Agranat Commission investigated the Yom Kippur War. The Kahan Commission examined the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, and the Winograd Commission drew lessons from the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
These inquiries have been vital in uncovering failures and recommending reforms. Polls show that up to 90% of Israelis across all sectors of society support such an inquiry into Oct. 7, recognizing the especially burning need to figure out a failure so inexplicable and calamitous. Yet the government, in defiance of public opinion and democratic norms, has chosen to obstruct the process.
Minister Gila Gamliel argued in the Knesset that any inquiry must await until after the end of the war – despite the current ceasefire. There’s a growing consensus that this familiar argument incentivizes Netanyahu’s government to extend the war.
Netanyahu’s wider arguments against the commission are as self-serving as they are appalling. He claims that judges are biased against him and therefore unfit to oversee the process. This is a cynical attempt to discredit the judiciary, which has traditionally been among the most trusted institutions in the country and is a globally respected cornerstone of Israeli democracy.
Netanyahu’s aides argue that instead of the traditional route, any future commission must be appointed by the Knesset – a pathway to politicizing the proceedings that aims to avoid scrutiny. Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history, seems intent on doing anything to buy yet more time, hoping the collective memory of the disaster will fade.
Meanwhile, the country’s military leadership is bearing the weight of responsibility. This week, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi announced his resignation, effective March 6, marking the latest in a wave of high-profile military resignations since Oct. 7. At his speech at Kibbutz Mefalsim, Halevi defended the integrity of the IDF against conspiracy theories and pledged accountability for the failures.
“No one hid information, no one knew what was about to happen, and no one helped the enemy,” he said, rejecting baseless allegations while acknowledging the gravity of the military’s shortcomings.
Halevi’s resignation was quickly followed by that of Southern Command chief Yaron Finkelman. Both leaders, like those who resigned before them — including the heads of Military Intelligence, Unit 8200, and Gaza Division — have expressed deep personal anguish over the Oct. 7 failures. Their departures signal not just personal accountability but a broader reckoning within the IDF, an institution battered by war, stretched to its limits, and facing a crisis of trust.
It is worth studying Halevi’s words in his resignation letter: “On the morning of October 7, under my command, the IDF failed in its mission to protect Israel’s citizens. The State of Israel paid a heavy and painful price — in lives lost, in hostages taken, and in those wounded both physically and emotionally. My responsibility for this terrible failure accompanies me every day, every hour, and will remain with me for the rest of my life.”
Can anyone imagine Netanyahu uttering such words, accepting responsibility in a genuine way? I believe there is not one person who can.
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SOURCE: www.forward.com
RELATED: Netanyahu’s coalition strikes down bill to form state commission of inquiry over October 7
A plenum session on the state budget in the assembly hall of the Israeli parliament, December 16, 2024.
(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)
JERUSALEM POST | Published January 23, 2025
The final tally was 53-45 against the proposal. However, the coalition has attempted to come up with an alternative committee.
Following a stormy debate, the MKs voted 53-45 against the bill, which was submitted by the opposition.
A state commission of inquiry is the most powerful probe in the legal system and the only type that operates independently of the political echelon. Its members are appointed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and it has the power to subpoena witnesses and make personal recommendations regarding individuals.
The other types of probes are government- and Knesset-appointed inquiry committees.
Nevertheless, the coalition has attempted to come up with an alternative committee whose members would be appointed by the coalition and the opposition.
Coalition MKs are seen talking in the Knesset plenum, in Jerusalem, on August 14, 2024 (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Lack of public trust
The opposition has rejected such proposals. The coalition has argued that there is a lack of public trust in the Supreme Court, and therefore, it should not be given the power to appoint committee members.
Recent polls have indicated that about 70% of Israelis support a state commission of inquiry to investigate the October 7 massacre. A forum representing more than 1,000 families of the victims, called the October 7 Council, was formed in recent months to demand a state commission of inquiry.
Innovation, Science, and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel (Likud), who represented the government’s position on the bill, said the Knesset and not the chief justice would establish a commission of inquiry when the Israel-Hamas War ends.
The debate in the Knesset plenum was marred by prolonged shouting matches between coalition and opposition MKs. Opposition MKs shouted “shame” at their coalition counterparts. Family members of October 7 massacre victims sat in the visitors’ section of the Knesset plenum and held up signs showing their loved ones.
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SOURCE: www.m.jpost.com
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