Israeli parliament to form commission investigating Oct. 7 errors

Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has passed a bill in its first reading to establish a commission of inquiry into the events of October 7 and the subsequent warfare. The proposed legislation aims to conduct a "complete, thorough, and independent investigation" into the Hamas attacks and Israel's response, according to a note accompanying the bill.

The bill was approved with 59 votes in favor, with no votes against and no abstentions. However, opposition lawmakers boycotted the vote, expressing dissatisfaction with the composition of the proposed commission. They advocate for a different type of commission, one not appointed by politicians.

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The proposed law aims to achieve a complete, thorough, and independent investigation of the events of October 7 (..) and the subsequent hostilities.

Under the proposed law, the commission will consist of six members appointed by the Knesset with a two-thirds majority. If the Knesset fails to reach an agreement, the ruling coalition will appoint three members, and the opposition will appoint the remaining three. Former hostages or family members of those killed will serve as observers, and commission meetings will be publicly broadcast.

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Only a commission appointed in an egalitarian way will allow us to both uncover the truth and maintain public trust. It will be a commission capable of investigating anything that affected Israel's security policy at its core.

Ariel Kallner, a lawmaker from the ruling Likud party and the bill's proposer, defended the commission's structure, stating that an "egalitarian" appointment process would allow for uncovering the truth and maintaining public trust. He asserted it would be a commission capable of investigating anything that fundamentally affected Israel's security policy.

Conversely, the opposition has pledged to boycott the commission, viewing its appointment process as effectively controlled by the ruling coalition. Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the bill, calling it a "deception" aimed solely at justifying actions and preventing a thorough investigation into what he described as the greatest disaster to befall the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Opposition parties have long called for an independent state investigation commission, a mechanism historically used in Israel to probe national failures, and public opinion polls indicate majority support for such a commission.

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The opposition will not participate in a deception whose sole purpose is to justify and prevent the investigation of the greatest disaster that has befallen the Jewish people since the Holocaust.