Police said planning to probe attempt to storm High Court’s Oct. 7 inquiry hearing |
Police have decided to open an investigation into pro-government activists’ attempt to storm the High Court during a hearing on petitions demanding a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and atrocities, according to a Channel 12 report on Saturday.
According to the unsourced report, the decision was made after police consulted with the State Attorney’s Office.
A mob of supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government attempted to break into the courtroom on Thursday, while chanting “Judge the judges” and calling Supreme Court President Isaac Amit “a dictator.”
The incident forced an abrupt halt to proceedings and the evacuation of the High Court justices from the courtroom amid security concerns. The hearing resumed after some 30 minutes.
It is unclear how many people were involved.
While High Court hearings are typically open, the court had decided to hold a closed hearing on Thursday, precisely due to “concerns of interruptions, disturbances and outbursts” that would make the hearing impossible.
The attempted break-in followed ugly scenes outside the court before the hearing began, as bereaved families on different sides of the political aisle engaged in mutual recriminations over who was responsible for the October 7 disaster, when invading Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Bereaved families supportive of the government accused those demanding a state commission of inquiry of seeking a “whitewash” for responsibility over the October 7 attack, and of “having opened the gates” to the massacre.
Netanyahu has long opposed the formation of a state commission of inquiry, claiming that because a state commission is appointed by the judiciary — whose powers his government has sought to curb — it would be biased against him. His government has instead sought to promote a politically appointed probe.
Critics, including many families who lost relatives on October 7 and the subsequent war, have accused the government of evading responsibility for the disaster by refusing to appoint a state commission, and called on the High Court to ensure that an independent investigation into the Hamas invasion and massacres is established.
The justices were highly critical during the hearing of the government’s failure to appoint any form of investigative committee into the catastrophic events of October 7. Nevertheless, judges asked the representative of the attorney general’s office if it would not be better for the court to wait until after the pending general election to make a ruling on the issue, and expressed concern over the public legitimacy of a court-ordered commission of inquiry.
The justices did not reach any decision, saying they needed to further study the issue.
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Iran war right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock under difficult conditions to cover this conflict;
Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and
Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
1 Netanyahu reveals prostate cancer, recovery; had radiation therapy without informing public
2 As Iran tries to wipe Israel off the map, a museum charts those who first put it on
3 Amid truce, Hezbollah attacks IDF in south Lebanon; troops kill 6 gunmen in Bint Jbeil
4 Hasidic sect in northern Israel churns out child brides and conceals sex abuse — report
5 Seven teens arrested in connection with Independence Day murder of pizzeria worker
6 US envoys Witkoff, Kushner to depart Saturday for Iran talks in Pakistan — White House
7 Mamdani vetoes school buffer zone bill; leading Jewish groups pan ‘profound failure’
8 11-year-old girl from Bnei Brak dies of wounds from Iranian strike on Passover eve
October 7 Hamas atrocities
State Commission of Inquiry
High Court of Justice