Bill for politically controlled Oct. 7 inquiry expected to reach Knesset vote this week

A bill to create a politically appointed commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre is expected to come to a first vote in the Knesset plenum this week, in an effort to finish the legislative process before the election. The proposal would give the coalition control over half of the commission’s members and the opposition the other half, although the opposition has already said it will not cooperate, which could leave the body operating effectively on one side only.

The legislation was submitted by Likud MK Ariel Kellner, but it is being advanced at the direction 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, reports said the coalition had considered giving State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman the authority to appoint the members of the political inquiry into the October 7 events, but that idea was scrapped after a public backlash. According to the draft circulated ahead of a Knesset Constitution Committee discussion last month, the government would also determine the commission’s mandate and the subjects it would investigate.

The draft further suggested that every two commission members would be able to summon witnesses and officials, a move that could drag proceedings on for years. Another contentious clause would allow coercive, quasi-judicial powers to be used by non-judges, as long as they are approved by a member qualified to be appointed to the Supreme Court, meaning someone with at least 10 years of legal experience, though not necessarily a sitting judge. That would differ from a state commission of inquiry, or even a government fact-finding committee, where such powers are exercised by a judge.