The Knesset on Wednesday approved a preliminary reading of a bill that would establish a politically appointed commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding October 7, as bereaved families and relatives of former hostages protested the move, warning it would undermine accountability and public trust.
The bill, submitted by Likud MK Ariel Kallner, passed its first reading after a tense plenum debate marked by shouted interruptions and symbolic protests. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not present for the vote.
Opposition members of Israel's Knesset tear up a bill during a preliminary vote to establish a political commission of inquiry, December 24, 2025. (VIA WALLA)
What would this plan entail?
Under the proposed framework, the commission would be established outside the traditional state commission of inquiry mechanism set out in the 1968 Commissions of Inquiry Law, under which the chief justice of the Supreme Court appoints the panel. Instead, the commission’s members would be selected through a Knesset-led process.
Under the proposed framework, the authoritative body would include six members. Lawmakers would be given a limited period to reach an agreement on all appointments by a supermajority. If no agreement were reached, the coalition and opposition would each appoint three members, with the Knesset speaker empowered to fill opposition slots if cooperation failed.
Bereaved families and those close to victims of the October 7 massacre attack have long expressed anger, frustration, and a sense of betrayal at the move. Critics of the bill argue that the structure would allow the political echelon – including those potentially subject to investigation – to shape both the commission’s composition and its mandate.
Coalition supporters have countered that a commission appointed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Isaac Amit would not be perceived as impartial by large segments of the public. However, the suggestion has been floated by several influential figures that the figure who would eventually appoint the committee members would be conservative Justice Noam Sohlberg, in an effort to circumvent the issue.
The evening vote followed a morning of coordinated protests led by the October Council, a group comprising bereaved families, survivors of the October 7 attack, and relatives of hostages and former captives. Demonstrators staged early-morning protests outside the homes of senior ministers and lawmakers, calling on them to oppose what they described as a “cover-up commission.”
Protests stood outside the homes of Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, among others.
Inside the Knesset, members of the October Council in the visitors’ gallery – along with reservists – turned their backs as Kallner presented the bill, while opposition lawmakers held signs reading “No to a cover-up” and chanted slogans during the debate.
Political comission is 'painful, inconceivable step'
The October Council said the bill’s preliminary approval was “a painful and inconceivable step” for those directly affected by the October 7 attacks, arguing that a political commission would replace “healing, responsibility and rehabilitation” with a process designed to obscure accountability.
The council reiterated its demand for a state commission of inquiry, calling for an independent, professional, and non-political investigation that would prioritize public safety, lessons learned from the failures, and the rehabilitation of affected communities.
Wednesday’s vote marked only the first stage of the legislative process. The bill must still pass committee deliberations and additional readings before becoming law, as the broader dispute over how Israel should investigate the October 7 failures continues to divide the political system and the families of those most affected.