Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Sunday excoriated government-backed legislation creating a politically appointed commission of inquiry into the failings surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and atrocities, describing it as “tailor-made” for the “personal” needs of the current government.

In an opinion published by her office, Baharav-Miara said the commission of inquiry envisioned in a private member’s bill submitted by Likud MK Ariel Kallner would “politicize” the inquiry; “trample” on professional considerations for getting at the truth; give commission members powers not befitting them; and harm the ability of any future, non-politicized, independent commission to properly investigate the October 7 failings.

The severe deficiencies of the bill mean the government should not support it, the attorney general said.

Kallner’s bill, which is due to be approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Monday for coalition support in the Knesset, would create a “national state investigation committee” whose members would be chosen by politicians, with almost no criteria for determining the qualifications of members.

The opposition has vowed to boycott the planned panel, insisting instead on a state commission of inquiry. The members of a state commission of inquiry, as defined under current law, are appointed by the Supreme Court president and the panel is led by a retired justice of the court.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that the public would not trust a state commission because its members would be chosen by the judiciary, which his government has sought to weaken through a series of controversial laws. As recently as 2022, Netanyahu had backed a state commission of inquiry into the conduct of the previous government.

Despite Netanyahu’s claims, opinion polls consistently show that a state commission of inquiry is backed by a majority of the public.

“Before us is a ‘personal bill,’ that is ‘tailored to the measurements’ of the current government........

© The Times of Israel