The updated text of the bill establishing a politically appointed commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre will allow the newly tapped state comptroller to appoint any members of the panel that the Knesset House Committee chair and opposition leader have not chosen.

Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal lawyer, Michael Rabello, was elected as the next state comptroller in a controversial Knesset vote. The amendments to the legislation on the commission were made several weeks ago, alongside the removal of the phrase “full, thorough and independent” from the text describing the investigation into October 7.

The government is currently working to advance a politically appointed commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led assault, while the opposition has demanded that an independent state commission of inquiry be led by the Supreme Court president, and has vowed not to cooperate with the proposed political panel.

If the government-backed bill is passed, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid refuses to appoint his share of members of the panel within 14 days, then Rabello, who was elected last week, would appoint the rest of the panel. Knesset House Committee chairman Ofir Katz, of the ruling Likud party, would appoint the other half of the panel.

The government is aiming to advance the legislation, which passed its preliminary reading in December, in the Knesset this week. The bill has been strongly criticized by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who said last year that it was “tailor-made” for the “personal” needs of the........

© The Times of Israel