Israeli State Comptroller Criticizes Supreme Court for Halting Key October 7 Inquiry

Israeli State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman sharply criticized the Supreme Court's decision to halt four of his ongoing audits related to the October 7 terror attack and its aftermath. Englman warned that even three years after the massacre, critical questions about the responsibility of political, military, and security leadership remain unanswered and unexamined by an independent body.

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Englman lacks authority to investigate core issues of national security and policy, including economic warfare against terror, Gaza border defense, intelligence community operations, and the conduct of political and military leadership during the October 7 events. This ruling affects four of eight audits currently underway, out of dozens initiated by the Comptroller's office.

Englman responded that his office began these audits shortly after the tragedy, emphasizing the necessity of learning lessons and holding responsible parties accountable. Over the past 33 months, no other independent entity has conducted such investigations. His office has already published over 40 reports exposing fundamental failures in the preparedness of Israel’s political, military, and civilian systems, with four more critical reports due imminently.

Following the court ruling, the Comptroller’s office will complete and publish the four audits allowed by the decision, including one on the licensing and security of a party in Kibbutz Re'im. However, work on the other four audits will be suspended. Englman lamented that "three years after the disaster, citizens still have not received answers to the difficult questions that remain unanswered regarding these four audits."