After repeated delays, Israel's government has agreed to launch an investigation into government failures leading to the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that triggered the Gaza war. But the AP reports that questions about the investigation's independence drew accusations Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to evade personal responsibility. Israel has traditionally appointed an independent state commission of inquiry, led by a retired judge, following major governmental failures. Netanyahu has resisted calls for such an investigation, saying only that he would answer all questions when the war is over. In Sunday's decision, he said the ceasefire that went into effect on Oct. 10 allows the government to start the investigation.
His Cabinet approved the formation of a watered-down "government committee," per the AP. Netanyahu will oversee the makeup of the team governing the inquiry, in effect putting him in charge of the probe. More details are to be announced in 45 days. Israel's opposition leader, Yair Lapid, called the decision insulting to the victims of Oct. 7 and to the hundreds of soldiers who have died in the war. "The government is doing everything it can to run from the truth and evade responsibility," Lapid said. The government is "establishing a commission that will investigate itself," noted the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which is critical of Netanyahu. "This is not an investigative commission, this is a cover-up commission."
According to a poll by the Jerusalem-based think tank Israel Democracy Institute last month, nearly three-quarters of the public support a fully independent commission of inquiry. Even among Netanyahu's right-wing base, 68% favored an independent commission. Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, many calling for an independent probe.
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