In his parting speech as chief of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar on Tuesday called for an “external” committee to investigate the failures of the October 7, 2023, terror onslaught, something the government has resisted forming for nearly three years.

During the handover ceremony at the Tel Nof Airbase, Maj. Gen. Omer Tischler took over as head of the IAF from Bar, who served in the role for the past four years, during a tenure that included protests by pilots, Hamas’s October 7 attack, and major operations against Iran amid a war on multiple fronts. Bar is ending a 39-year career in the military.

The IAF handover ceremony was initially set for April, but was delayed due to the recent war in Iran.

“It is clear to all that the full picture will become clear only after the work of an objective external investigation committee,” Bar said at the handover ceremony.

“This is essential for the IDF, for all the security bodies in the state, for the [bereaved] families… and for the trust between the citizens and the IDF and the country that is supposed to protect them,” he said.

The IAF conducted its own inquiry into Hamas’s October 7 assault, which found that the number of aircraft it had on standby did not apply to a wide-scale surprise attack; the IAF did not know at the time where to focus its firepower, due to a lack of information coming from the ground; and a series of airstrikes carried out on Hamas tunnel networks likely had no effect on the invasion.

Despite polls consistently showing a substantial majority of Israelis want a state commission of inquiry to be established, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition have rejected attempts to establish one. They say a commission should only be set up after the war is concluded, and reject a state commission appointed by the Supreme Court chief, claiming it would be biased against them.

During the 2023 protests against the coalition’s judicial overhaul, over 1,100 Israeli Air Force reservists, including more than 400 pilots, announced that they would suspend their volunteer reserve duty in protest of the government’s agenda to overhaul the judicial system.

During the handover........

© The Times of Israel