The government can’t be trusted to investigate itself, but neither can institutions that are biased against it. History will render its verdict; in the meantime, it should be left to Israel’s voters.
Who was responsible for the greatest disaster in the history of the State of Israel? For those who care about Israel’s future and its security, whether in Israel or elsewhere, getting to the bottom of the catastrophe that occurred on Oct. 7, 2023, is a vital task. It’s also bound up with the sacred obligation to honor the memory of the 1,200 Israeli men, women and children who were slain in the Hamas-led Palestinian orgy of mass murder, rape, torture, kidnapping and wanton destruction, as well as those who died in the war against Hamas and its allies that followed.
In theory, such an effort would be nonpartisan and inspire across-the-board respect. Yet the notion that this objective can be achieved in Israel’s current political environment is a forlorn hope, and there’s no use pretending otherwise. At a time when the country’s politics is largely defined by opinions either for and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the idea that there is any such thing as an impartial panel, let alone one chosen and/or directed by the country’s judicial establishment that is locked in a bitter battle with him, is simply absurd.
An impartial commission?