Thoughts on the Netanyahu Government Rejecting an Independent Inquiry into October 7th

Last week, the Netanyahu government rejected legislation which would have established an independent inquiry into October 7th.

When such inquiries are established, its members are appointed by the Chief Justice of Israel's Supreme Court as was the case with the Agranat Commission following the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Shimon Agranat was then Israel's Supreme Court chief justice.

Of course, prior to October 7th, the Netanyahu government passed legislation stripping away the Supreme Court's independence which the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional. 

However, with the Netanyahu government at war with the Supreme Court, it plans to come up with its own inquiry which would be appointed by the Knesset consisting of government and opposition members. Of course, this defeats the whole purpose of having an independent inquiry. A government-controlled inquiry would minimize any responsibility for any intelligence and military failures leading up to October 7th on Netanyahu and his coalition.

Of course, Hamas bears the blame of what happened on October 7th. It planned the attack and carried it out. An independent inquiry would not change that fact. Nevertheless, it must be determined if the attack could have been prevented or at least mitigated and identify steps as to how such an attack is to be prevented from happening again.

Then again, Netanyahu is all too aware of what happened after the Agranat Commission. Golda Meir resigned as Prime Minister. This is exactly the last thing Netanyahu intends to do whatever responsibility he might bear. Certainly, so long as Donald Trump is in the White House.