A-G proposes delaying Oct. 7 inquiry decision as government 'hasn't established one anyway'

Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara on Wednesday proposed postponing the decision to establish a commission of inquiry into the October 7 Massacre until a new government is formed.

She said the election period would get in the way of a decision and noted that the current government had not established one anyway.

Shortly after the Knesset's dissolution in July, the government informed the High Court of Justice that it had been unable to complete legislation establishing its proposed commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre “due to the constraints of the Knesset’s schedule,” and that the lawmakers had left for the election recess.

At the time, the government told the court it would revive the proposal after the October 27 election, while asking the court to dismiss petitions seeking a state commission of inquiry and leave the issue to the voters.

Since the October 7 massacre, the subject of a commission of inquiry into the events has reached the Knesset floor several times, including just two weeks before the Knesset's dissolution, when the plenum passed in its first reading a coalition bill seeking to establish a politically appointed investigative committee to probe government failures during the October 7 massacre.

Majority of Israeli society supports commission of inquiry into October 7 massacre

A Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) Israeli Society Index published in May revealed that nearly two-thirds of Israelis (63%) support the immediate establishment of a commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre, and the position is shared by a majority in both the Jewish (62%) and Arab (67%) sectors.

In general, some 15% of Israelis believe that forming the committee should be delayed until the war has fully ended, while even fewer (11%) believe that the decision on when to establish the committee should be left up to the government’s discretion.

Regarding the type of inquiry committee to form, 46% of respondents prefer a state commission of inquiry, while  40% prefer a national inquiry committee.