The Knesset plenum approved Monday evening in its first reading the National-State Commission of Inquiry Bill into the Events of the October 7 Massacre.
59 Members of Knesset voted in favor of the bill, with no opponents or abstentions. It will now be referred to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee to be prepared for its second and third readings.
According to the proposal, a commission of inquiry will be established to investigate the events of October 7, 2023, and the entirety of the circumstances that led up to them. Upon concluding its work, the commission will submit its findings to the Speaker of the Knesset and the Government.
The proposed law outlines a unique mechanism for appointing the commission’s members, predicated primarily on a broad consensus of 80 MKs. If such a consensus cannot be reached, the members will be appointed on a parity basis by the Chairman of the House Committee and the leader of the opposition.
The bill further regulates the commission's composition, the eligibility criteria for its members, the method for selecting its chairperson, its powers, and its operating procedures.
It is also proposed that released hostages or members of bereaved families serve as observers on the commission, and that its hearings be generally held in public and broadcast to the citizenry.
The sponsor of the bill, MK Ariel Kallner (Likud), stated that the legislation aims to ensure both the pursuit of truth and public trust in the commission.
According to Kallner, the proposed mechanism will allow for the formation of a committee capable of investigating any party involved in shaping the security policies that led to the events of October 7, while ensuring its members are appointed either through broad consensus or via an equal split between the coalition and the opposition.