Israeli Knesset Approves First Reading of National Inquiry Committee for October 7 Massacre

The Israeli Knesset approved in a first reading a bill to establish a "state-national" inquiry committee to investigate the events of the October 7 massacre. The proposed committee will be appointed with broad consent from 80 Knesset members. If such consensus is not reached, the committee will be formed in a parity format with three representatives from the coalition and three from the opposition, modeled after the U.S. commission that investigated the September 11 attacks.

The bill grants the committee full investigative powers, mandates that its sessions be broadcast to the public, and gives bereaved families observer and supervisory status over its work. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and coalition members emphasized the importance of passing the bill in this first reading, as it allows the legislation to continue under continuity rules even if the current Knesset dissolves before completion.

The bill's sponsor, MK Ariel Kallner, hailed the approval as a historic step toward truth, stressing the need for a credible investigation that the entire nation can trust. He criticized the idea of an inquiry where those under investigation act as investigators themselves, highlighting that key figures who served in critical roles during the 18 years before the massacre, including IDF chiefs of staff, Shin Bet heads, and Supreme Court justices, owe the public answers.