On Sunday evening, the Israeli Cabinet decided to delay the decision on establishing a commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, events by three months. During the session, disagreements emerged over the formation of a state inquiry commission, with many ministers expressing strong opposition to the idea.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi spoke out during the meeting, asserting, “Even if the judges of the Supreme Court decide by force to establish a commission of inquiry on their own, just as they decided without authority to appoint Justice Yitzhak Amit as President of the Supreme Court, we must not cooperate.” He added, “There is an elected government in Israel, and it will not leave the fate of the investigation in the hands of those who need to be investigated themselves.”
In contrast, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar supported the creation of a state inquiry commission. He suggested exploring a legislative change that would allow the government to authorize former Supreme Court presidents or deputy presidents to decide on the committee’s members. Sa’ar proposed forming a ministerial team to advise on the scope of the investigation and its timeline. He explained that if the mandate includes the Swords of Iron War, the commission should only be set up once the war ends. However, if the inquiry focuses solely on the events of October 7 and their causes, it could be initiated immediately.
A tense exchange also occurred between Sa’ar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. “You are adopting the practice of heckling in the Knesset, where I am willing to accept it, but here in a Cabinet meeting, it is not acceptable to me; I ask that you respond after I have finished speaking,” Sa’ar told her. Earlier, Baharav-Miara had remarked, “A government inquiry committee, unlike a state commission, receives its budget from the government, which might exert undue influence, unlike the budget for a state commission which comes from the judicial authority.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich raised concerns about funding, asking, “Who will fund a state commission of inquiry? Who funds the judicial authority? We will not provide a budget for a commission of inquiry that is not in line with our views.”
The Attorney General responded, “We presented our position to the court in The Hague that we intend to establish a state commission; we cannot backtrack.” Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu interjected, “Who approved that?” to which Baharav-Miara replied, “You did.”
Before this exchange, Netanyahu had criticized Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Ronen Bar, who had requested to attend the meeting but was turned down. The Attorney General noted that Bar’s stance had not been presented to the ministers, prompting Netanyahu to slam the table, stating, “He’s just a clerk. What does he have to do with the decision on a state commission of inquiry?”
The majority of Cabinet ministers sided with Netanyahu, agreeing that it would be a serious error to begin an investigation while the war was ongoing. They argued that doing so would divert the attention and resources of those involved from the war effort to the investigation and would undermine the war effort.
Some ministers participating in the debate proposed that the inquiry should begin from the Oslo period, while others contended that it should start with the Disengagement plan, which they believe contributed to the events of October 7.
{Matzav.com}