Bill to create a political inquiry into the October 7 massacre is set for a Knesset vote this week

A bill to establish a politically appointed inquiry commission into the October 7 massacre is expected to come up for a first vote in the Knesset plenum this week, in an effort to complete the legislation before elections. The proposal says half of the commission members would be chosen by the coalition and half by the opposition, although the opposition has already said it will not cooperate, which would leave the panel effectively operating one-sidedly.

The bill was submitted by Likud MK Ariel Kallner and is being advanced on the instruction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Its purpose is to shift the power to appoint the commission away from the legal system and into the political arena. Last week, there were reports that the coalition had considered giving State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman authority to appoint the members, but that idea was dropped after public backlash.

According to the draft circulated before a previous discussion in the Knesset Constitution Committee, the government would also determine the commission’s mandate and the subjects it would investigate. The draft further proposed that every two commission members could summon witnesses and officials to hearings, a step that could drag the process on for years.

One of the most contentious elements is the possibility of granting coercive, quasi-judicial powers to commission members who are not judges. To use such powers, members would need approval from a commissioner eligible to be appointed to the Supreme Court, meaning a person with at least 10 years of legal experience, not necessarily a sitting judge. That would differ from a state commission of inquiry, or even a government investigative committee, where such powers are exercised by a judge.