Jerusalem, 18 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli opposition parties on Sunday announced a full boycott of legislative discussions on a government-backed bill to establish a politically appointed investigative panel into the failures surrounding Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. The move escalates a bitter dispute over how the country should examine one of the deadliest events in its history.
In a joint statement issued by the chairmen of all opposition factions, the lawmakers said they would refuse to participate in deliberations in the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, which is expected to begin debating the bill this week. The opposition, led by former prime minister Yair Lapid, accuses the government of trying to block the creation of an independent state commission of inquiry, a mechanism traditionally used in Israel to investigate major national failures.
“We will not cooperate with a cynical attempt to establish a political committee with one goal: to escape and remove responsibility from the October 7 government and from Netanyahu’s own personal failure,” the opposition leaders said in the statement. “Only a state commission of inquiry will arrive at the truth, provide answers to the difficult questions, and prevent the next disaster.”
The controversy centers on a bill sponsored by Likud lawmaker Ariel Kallner, which proposes an alternative to a state commission of inquiry. Under the bill, a six-member investigative committee and its chair would ideally be appointed by a supermajority of 80 out of the Knesset’s 120 members. If no agreement is reached within two weeks, the coalition and opposition would each select three members. The panel would also include four supervisory representatives of bereaved families.
Critics argue that the structure effectively guarantees coalition control. The legislation allows the Knesset speaker to appoint committee members if either side refuses to cooperate. With the opposition now pledging a boycott, Speaker Amir Ohana, a member of the governing coalition, would likely make the appointments himself.
The bill passed a preliminary reading last month by a narrow 53–48 vote, prompting protests by opposition lawmakers and families of victims of the attack, in which Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people and abducted around 250 from southern Israel. Many bereaved families have demanded a state commission with broad powers and independence from political influence.
The October Council, which represents relatives of those killed or abducted, welcomed the opposition’s decision. “This is a moral, principled, and necessary step against a transparent attempt to erase responsibility and escape the truth,” the group said, adding, “This is not a struggle of opposition and coalition; it is a struggle of families against a government that is afraid of being investigated.”
Government figures have defended the proposed panel and sharply criticized demands for a state commission. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu has said the alternative body should also examine “the judicial system” and others who, he claimed, “weakened our deterrence.” Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar dismissed the opposition’s accusations, saying, “Anyone who thinks a commission would conclude that the main, the only, culprit is Netanyahu is living in a dream world.”
Kallner, responding to the boycott threat, accused the opposition of politicizing the issue themselves. “Anyone who insists on a committee appointed only by the president of the Supreme Court and rejects an equal and transparent committee,” he said, “is not seeking the truth. He is looking for a cover-up.”
Netanyahu has resisted calls for a formal state commission of inquiry, calling it “politically biased.” Such commissions, led by senior Supreme Court justices, can summon witnesses, collect evidence, and make recommendations, though the government is not required to follow them.
The Israel Defense Forces has released a series of detailed internal probes examining how roughly 5,000 terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were able to storm Israeli communities and overrun military positions. However, the military probes only address issues of operations, intelligence, and command — not decisions made by the political echelon.
Israel’s last commission of inquiry investigated the deaths of 45 people in a 2021 stampede at Mount Meron. That commission ultimately held Netanyahu personally responsible in 2024.
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