The Knesset voted 59-0 on Monday to pass in the first of three readings highly controversial legislation establishing a politically appointed probe into the failures surrounding Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, under which the same government that was in power when the attacks took place will have the authority to unilaterally appoint the body investigating its own conduct.

Opposition lawmakers boycotted the vote, which was assured of passage with the backing of the ultra-Orthodox parties. The opposition has boycotted the bill throughout the legislative process and has vowed not to cooperate with the proposed political commission.

Likud MKs Dan Illouz and Yuli Edelstein — the latter having recently announced his departure from the party — did not participate in the vote. Both have repeatedly defied the coalition on controversial legislation.

The legislation will now return to the Knesset Constitution Committee, where it will be prepared for its final votes, expected to be pushed through next week ahead of the Knesset’s scheduled pre-election dissolution on July 17.

The proposal, promoted by Likud MK Ariel Kallner, calls for a Knesset supermajority — 80 out of 120 MKs — to appoint a six-member investigative committee and its chairman. If there is no agreement after two weeks, both the opposition and coalition would be allowed to select three committee members each, who would be joined by four supervisory members representing bereaved families.

However, the commission may begin operating as long as at least three members have been appointed, meaning that if the opposition continues to boycott the process, a commission composed solely of coalition appointees could still conduct the inquiry.

The opposition has demanded that an independent state commission of inquiry be established, led by the Supreme Court president, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has adamantly opposed forming one because its members would be selected by the judiciary, which he claims is biased against him. Multiple opinion polls have shown that a majority of Israelis support establishing such an inquiry.

The vote was held only four days after nationwide memorials and protests commemorating 1,000 days since Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern........

© The Times of Israel