In recent weeks, as calls grow louder for a formal investigation into the failures surrounding October 7, I’ve found myself uneasy — not with the idea of an inquiry, but with the language increasingly used to frame it.

In particular, I bridle at the phrase: “How was a catastrophe of this scale allowed to happen?”

At first glance, it sounds reasonable. Responsible, even. But the more I sit with it, the more it troubles me.

“Allowed” is not a neutral word.

It carries assumptions — of foreknowledge, of capacity to prevent, and of a conscious decision not to act. It suggests something closer to acquiescence than failure. And that distinction matters, especially when we are talking about the mass murder of civilians.........

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