On May 5, the government decided not to establish, at this stage, a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7. Meanwhile, omissions of information are piling up, more and more decision-making processes are obscured from public view, and mountains of documents and testimonies are being slowly buried.
Military investigations into the events of that tragic day portray a version of reality in which the disaster was a series of localized incidents. The resignations of senior security officials are treated as their acceptance of responsibility – but the political echelon remains steadfast: unaccountable to the public, unwilling to assume responsibility, and uninterested in the truth.
By refraining from establishing a state commission of inquiry, the government continues to deepen the erosion of public trust – bringing us closer to the next disaster.
The majority of the Israeli public supports establishing a state commission of inquiry. This support spans across the political spectrum and remains consistent, even in the face of the government’s efforts to delegitimize the institution.
Polls conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute in July 2024 and again in January 2025 show that approximately 70% of the public – including nearly 60% of right-wing voters – support the formation of such a commission.
Only a state inquiry can fully investigate the events of October 7
A state commission of inquiry is the only mechanism that can fully uncover the facts, help restore public trust, and provide actionable lessons to prevent the next disaster. Only an independent, nonpartisan body, with the power to subpoena witnesses, compel the production of documents, and make recommendations, can examine the full picture: the judgment and conduct of both the political and security leadership, the interaction between them, the functioning of security agencies, and the decision-making processes within the government.
We must not accept a political committee – as proposed by the coalition – composed of former security officials and representatives of bereaved families appointed by both coalition and opposition parties. The result would not only be the retroactive politicization of the military, the security services, and the bereavement community – but also the politicization of truth itself.
Can the Supreme Court intervene in the government’s decision not to establish a state commission of inquiry, or in its decision to establish a different kind of committee?
Until now, the court has refrained from compelling the government to establish a state commission of inquiry. It has ruled that the authority to form such a commission is a broad discretionary power of the government, and that the court may intervene in such a decision only in “exceptional and rare circumstances – the likes of which have not arisen and are unlikely ever to come before the court.”
Even when a matter is of great public importance and warrants clarification, the decision whether or not to establish a commission remains with the government.
However, in one case, a minority opinion of the court recognized that while the law says the government may – but is not obligated to – form a state commission of inquiry, there could be exceptional and rare cases where the failure to establish one may become unreasonable.
The October 2023 disaster may well be such a case. Therefore, it is possible that the court would intervene in the government’s decision, both whether to establish a commission and what kind of commission to establish.
In any case, the government should remember this: If it does not establish a state commission of inquiry, the next government likely will – and that government will define the scope and subject of the investigation.
In other words, the current government simply seems to be postponing the inevitable. A state commission of inquiry will, without a doubt, eventually be formed.
Uncovering the truth. Taking responsibility. Learning lessons. Rebuilding trust. These are the goals sought by those calling for a state commission of inquiry – and they are precisely what the current government and its leader appear unwilling to do.
The truth won’t undo what has happened. But it can document what was, so we can begin to confront the failure and the rupture it caused. Beyond that, uncovering the facts will allow us to learn and draw lessons for the future.
Responsibility won’t bring back the lives lost, nor will it heal the trauma of October 7. But recognizing responsibility matters – it is essential for restoring a sense of control and order for a nation shattered by helplessness, and restoring trust in the state, its elected officials, and its institutions.
To take responsibility is to act with a sense of humanity toward others – to look the public in the eye, expose the truth, and accept accountability. That is exactly what we should expect from the government and its leader.
A commission of inquiry is not, in and of itself, a remedy. But as citizens, and as a country, we are obligated to move forward, to rise from the ashes and grow from the place of our greatest pain.
That is why the announcement by the government this week of its intention not to form a state commission of inquiry is a grave error. It is the highest order of civic, moral, and public duty to establish a state commission of inquiry.
Only a state commission of inquiry can transform the bleeding wound of October 7 into a scar.
The writer is a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute.