The Knesset approved the bill in a first reading tonight with 59 votes in favor and none against. The opposition boycotted the vote. Under the legislation, the commission can operate with coalition members alone, granting the prime minister near-complete control over its composition, according to Channel 12 and Knesset reports.
The Knesset approved the bill for a political commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023 massacre in a first reading Monday evening (July 6) with 59 votes in favor and none against, following an opposition boycott that prevented any dissenting votes. The vote came after a plenum debate earlier in the night in which MK Ariel Kallner (Religious Zionism) argued that anyone who held a senior role since the 2005 Gaza disengagement cannot serve on such a commission.
As The Zioneer first reported on June 9, the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approved the bill's text that day, establishing a six-member commission — half appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and half by the opposition leader. The opposition had already announced it would boycott the process entirely; Channel 12's Daphna Liel reported that the commission can operate with only three members present, effectively granting the coalition sole authority over the probe's scope and findings. On June 13, The Zioneer reported that the bill was set for a first reading that week.
By the time of Monday's plenum vote, the opposition had maintained its boycott, leaving the coalition to pass the bill with only its 59 MKs present. The legislation now moves to committee review ahead of second and third readings. As The Zioneer reported on June 9, the opposition has condemned the bill as a political takeover of what should be an independent investigative mechanism.
What remains open: the timeline for the committee stage and subsequent readings has not been set, and the legal viability of a commission that operates without opposition representation has yet to be tested.
4 developments
- DevelopingBill for political commission of inquiry into October 7 set for first reading this week
- DevelopingConstitution Committee to Vote on Political Inquiry Law for October 7 Amid Renewed Fighting
- StrongOctober Council founder: Political commission a 'whitewash committee' after Knesset passes bill
- DevelopingLiberman calls political commission of inquiry 'whitewash committee' after first-reading passage; Eisenkot also reacts
Source and signal
- Internal intake