Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with other officials on Thursday to discuss the possibility that the International Criminal Court in The Hague would issue arrest warrants for the two.
One of the options discussed was the creation of an inquiry commission to prevent the warrants. Sources with knowledge of the details noted that Netanyahu is examining the option of creating a government-appointed commission.
Professional advisors explained that a state commission of inquiry would be seen by the ICC as better than a government-appointed commission since it would be less dependent on the government.
People close to Netanyahu noted as an example the Winograd Commission, which investigated the Second Lebanon War, and the Turkel Commission which investigated the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident which were seen as independent even though they were appointed by the government.
The Prime Minister's Office denied the report and stated: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, held an additional consultation, with the participation of the relevant political echelon and the Attorney General, on the issue of the International Criminal Court.
"The Attorney General reiterated her position regarding the establishment of a State Commission of Inquiry to examine the humanitarian situation in Gaza even though, according to the view of the Attorney General herself, there is no certainty that establishing this commission would lead to the cancellation of the request to issue the warrants. Accordingly, additional courses of action were also evaluated."