Tel Aviv, Israel
—
“Prime Minister Netanyahu, do you really think you can rename a war, hand out medals, talk about your heroism, and still avoid an investigation into the biggest national failure in Israel’s history?”
Eyal Eshel’s voice cracked with anger as he stood on stage in Tel Aviv on Saturday night and read out to thousands of protesters his cabinet’s recent decision to change the name of the Gaza war from “Operation Iron Sword” to “War of Salvation.” Then he tore it to shreds.
“Forget it,” continued Eshel, whose daughter Roni was killed in Nahal Oz while working as an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) observer on October 7. “We, the families, the residents of the Gaza Strip, the people of Israel, will not forgive you. Until you investigate, there will be no resurrection. My Roni will not return, but the truth can still return.”
The scene captured one of the central battles currently unfolding in Israel. The long war in Gaza is nearing an end, but internal conflicts over responsibility have only just begun.
More than two years after the deadliest day in Israel’s history, the government has yet to establish an official national commission to investigate the security and intelligence failures that allowed Hamas to kill more than 1,200 Israelis and kidnap more than 250 others.
Instead, on Sunday the government decided to proceed with the establishment of an “independent” commission of inquiry into the events of October 7. The commission “will have full investigative powers and its composition will reflect the broadest possible public consensus.”
According to the decision, Prime Minister Netanyahu will appoint a ministerial committee and submit recommendations on the committee’s mandate within 45 days. In lieu of the State Commission of Inquiry, there will be further delays.
After the decision, the October Council, a coalition of bereaved families and survivors, denounced what it called a “political committee” and announced further demonstrations.
During the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly insisted that an investigation must wait until the fighting was over. Now that this is a reality, families, survivors and residents of the devastated Gaza border area are stepping up their demands for a national commission of inquiry to provide answers.
The National Commission of Inquiry is the most powerful institution under Israeli law and is empowered to investigate national disasters and decisions independent of the government of the day.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for alternative mechanisms that would allow him to maintain control over who investigates and who is held accountable, but critics say this is designed more to protect him than to uncover the truth.
Saturday’s rally was the first time the October Council had organized a large-scale protest to rally public support.
“On October 7, more than 1,200 men, women and children were killed or fell in battle. Babies were slaughtered in their cribs, entire families were wiped out before our eyes. This was not just an attack. It was a small-scale holocaust in the heart of the Israeli state,” Rafi Ben Sitrit, who lost his son Elroy in the fighting at Nahal Oz Garrison, told the crowd.
“From this pain, from this ashes, we must demand the one thing that should be clear,” he continued. “A fully independent state commission of inquiry will investigate every process, every failure, every act of omission, every silence. There will be no repair unless we uncover the full truth.”
However, Prime Minister Netanyahu has firmly resisted calls to establish such a commission. The members will be appointed by the Chief Justice of Israel’s Supreme Court. This is the commission that Netanyahu has spent the past three years weakening.
He turned the conflict between the Israeli judiciary and government, which predates the Gaza war, into a shield against calls for accountability, arguing that the National Commission of Inquiry has low public trust because it is under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated in parliament last week that the future commission would not be a national commission of inquiry under any circumstances.
“The majority of the people do not trust the National Commission of Inquiry,” he said in a debate initiated by 40 opposition members. “We will push for the creation of a nationally representative commission. The opposition cries out for a ‘national commission,’ but we know that half of Israel will not accept its composition or its conclusions. We want a balanced commission that will investigate everyone and earn the trust of a wide range of people.”
Members of the October Congress who were present at the meeting turned away and protested.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly asserted that most Israelis oppose the national committee, and despite his campaign against it, repeated opinion polls suggest the opposite. A poll conducted by the National Security Institute in late October found that nearly three-quarters (74%) of Israelis support establishing a national committee, while only 17% oppose it. A majority (52%) of coalition voters support the move, while support among opposition voters stands at 92%.
But public opinion is not moving the Netanyahu government. Under pressure from the family’s petition to the High Court, the Cabinet has repeatedly discussed the issue, but no commitment has been reached. The debate scheduled for Sunday is unlikely to break this pattern.
But since the war ended, Prime Minister Netanyahu has stepped up efforts to establish a more limited alternative.
One model is a government committee, the members of which he can appoint. Another is a parliamentary committee evenly divided between coalition and opposition representatives, which could likely quickly lead to deadlock and paralysis. Neither would enjoy the independence of the state commission.
Two Israeli sources said that by launching an independent investigation before elections scheduled for next year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to prevent a future government from determining who will investigate and who will be held responsible. What the October Council family wants – an institution that can reveal the full truth – is exactly what Prime Minister Netanyahu’s alternative plan seeks to avoid.
Meanwhile, the IDF has completed an internal investigation, and the state comptroller’s office is conducting a wide-ranging investigation that seeks to fill in the blanks beyond its normal authority. But without subpoena power or a public mandate, their reports fall short of naming those responsible or recommending their firing.
For the families who lost loved ones on October 7, a technical investigation is no substitute for a national reckoning.
Hira Abir, whose brother Lotan was killed at the Nova Music Festival, said, “All agencies are conducting their own investigations.” “That is not accountability. We need a truly independent commission to present its findings and bring about change so we never have another October 7th.”
“We wake up every morning and still don’t feel safe,” Abir added. “That should be a concern for all Israelis.”
