Over the weekend, President Isaac Herzog met with the President of the Supreme Court, Justice Yitzhak Amit, and proposed a compromise framework for establishing a state commission of inquiry to investigate the October 7, 2023 massacre. According to the framework, if a commission is established under the existing law, its membership will be determined by Justice Amit, in consultation with Justice Noam Sohlberg, who is expected to be appointed as Deputy President of the Supreme Court. The President’s Office stated that Supreme Court President Amit expressed general agreement with the framework and emphasized that he sees it as an agreed-upon and appropriate way to establish a state commission of inquiry, with the goal of uncovering the truth and providing answers to the general public. In response to President Herzog’s proposal, sources close to the Prime Minister stated, “The public deserves a genuine and politically unbiased inquiry commission, with a composition that represents the majority of the people and investigates everyone—without exception. Unfortunately, this is not what is being proposed here.” Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi (Likud) criticized the President’s proposal, saying, “The proposal is, at best, an unfunny Purim joke.” Karhi added, “Amit, Sohlberg, and the other Supreme Court justices should not lead the investigation—they should be among those investigated. The public demands the truth, not a cover-up commission that will favor the well-connected and protect Supreme Court justices, who for years have severely damaged Israel’s deterrence capabilities.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “The horrific disaster and its causes will be investigated after the war, but only by a commission that earns the trust of the majority of the people, and not one appointed by a political Supreme Court President, who was forcibly appointed and is unworthy of trust.” Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid said the proposal is “balanced and measured, does not undermine the authority of the honorable Justice Amit, and allows for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry that will earn the trust of the overwhelming majority of the Israeli public.” Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called for support of President Herzog’s compromise to establish a state commission of inquiry. “Instead of focusing on rehabilitation and correction, divisive forces are pushing the country back into the madness that led to October 7th. This is a time for compromises and agreements. President Herzog has initiated a balanced and appropriate compromise for establishing a state commission of inquiry, which would be the first step toward rebuilding society, security, and leadership. We must all support it. Those who reject it wish to avoid any investigation, accountability, or introspection.” The framework that is being discussed was proposed by Maj. Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon, who was a guest on a recent special podcast on Arutz Sheva-Israel National News . Related articles: Ori Danino took responsibility and demonstrated Jewish bravery President Herzog meets with released hostage Tal Shoham Our hearts ache at identification of Ohad, Itzik, Tsachi & Shlomo 'Oded, I ask forgiveness that we did not protect you' Tibon said that politicians should not be involved in establishing the commission, “and therefore, I find it acceptable that Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit and Deputy Noam Sohlberg—who in some way represent two sides of the people and are both honest and decent individuals—can select the inquiry commission, because this commission needs to investigate everyone.” “The commission of inquiry needs to investigate three things: everything that preceded the failure, the army’s dysfunction on October 7th—as someone who was on the ground and asked where the army was, a question also asked by the victims who cried out, ‘Where is the army?’—and also the management of the longest war in our history,” Tibon said, adding that if it were up to him, he would have managed the war differently, starting by closing the Philadelphi Corridor to seal off the Strip, and then, once it was isolated, combing it from south to north. “It would have been correct to first secure the release of all the hostages and then fight more freely. I thought it was correct to fight simultaneously to shorten the duration of the war and launch a preemptive strike in the north.”
