Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael Political NewsA proposal by Likud lawmaker Ariel Kallner would also bar former attorneys general and Shin Bet chiefs from serving, while reshaping Israel's standard state commission model and shifting appointment power to Knesset leadersShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeEyal Eshel, the father of Roni Eshel who was killed on October 7, embraces Rom Barslavski, who survived Hamas captivity, last week in the Knesset. Credit: Itay CohenEyal Eshel, the father of Roni Eshel who was killed on October 7, embraces Rom Barslavski, who survived Hamas captivity, last week in the Knesset. Credit: Itay Cohen05:36 PM • May 13 2026 IDTAn Israeli lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party proposed legislation barring current or former Supreme Court justices from serving on a state commission investigating Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, in the latest sign of the government's effort to shape any future inquiry into the failures surrounding the assault.The revised bill by lawmaker Ariel Kallner would also prohibit former attorneys general, Shin Bet chiefs and senior security and legal officials from serving on the panel, while allowing the appointment of anyone eligible to become a Supreme Court justice. It would remove an earlier requirement that committee members hold security clearance.Under Israeli law, a state commission of inquiry is typically headed by a sitting or retired Supreme Court justice appointed by the court's president and is considered the country's highest-ranking independent investigative body.The new draft, set to be discussed in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Wednesday, also softens the stated purpose of the inquiry, replacing language calling for a "full, thorough and independent investigation" with wording focused on "examining the massacre," and emphasizing appointments acceptable to both sides of Israel's political divide.Haaretz Podcast'Political football': How U.K. Jews are caught between Britain's racist far-right and the anti-Zionist far leftHaaretz Podcast'Political football': How U.K. Jews are caught between Britain's racist far-right and the anti-Zionist far lefttotal-- : --time0:00Last year, the government announced the establishment of a governmental investigative committee to examine the failures surrounding October 7, which stops short of being a state commission of inquiry, which would be led by a sitting or retired Supreme Court justice.The bill has been discussed in Knesset committees and has faced scrutiny by opposition members and bereaved family groups calling for a state commission of inquiry. In the new proposal, the wording of the bill's objective was changed from "to ensure a full, thorough and independent investigation," to "bring about an investigation into the Shmini Atzeret massacre event." The new draft also stipulates that the comission will be formed and its responsibilities determined in a way that "allows for an optimal response to the difficult public dispute surrounding the identity of the commission's appointing body, through appointment by consensus or in an egalitarian matter between both sides of the Knesset." MK Ariel Kellner at the Knesset Committee, earlier this year. Credit: Oren Ben HakoonMK Ariel Kellner at the Knesset Committee, earlier this year. Credit: Oren Ben HakoonThe new draft bill also says that within two weeks of the bill passing, the Knesset Speaker will present a proposal including the names of the commission's chairman and its members, "after consulting as much as possible with representatives of the coalition and opposition." The composition of the commission, which is set to have six or seven members, will be brought before the Knesset for approval within seven days and will require a majority of 80 Knesset members. In the absence of such a majority, the commission members will be appointed by the chairman of the Knesset House Committee and the leader of the opposition: Each will appoint three commission members, provided that at least 25 Knesset members from several coalition or opposition caucuses have agreed to the appointment in writing.However, if the chairman of the House Committee and the opposition leader fail to reach an agreement and appoint all commission members within two weeks, the state comptroller will appoint the missing members.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to promote the election of his lawyer, Michael Rabello, to this position in the upcoming elections for the role next month. The new draft for the politicized probe also proposes appointing four members of bereaved families from the Gaza war as observers, who will be permitted to participate in discussions, propose questions, and submit written comments before the report's publication.Israel's High Court of Justice said late last month it would grant the government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two more months to form a framework to establish a commission of inquiry into the October 7 attacks on southern Israel.The seven-justice panel instructed the government to submit an update regarding "the framework to investigate the events" by July 1, adding that the current situation, in which no official commission of inquiry had yet to be established, "is unacceptable and raises significant legal difficulties."The "October Council," which represents victims and bereaved families affected by October 7, sharply criticized the proposed bill, saying it revealed the government's true intentions. "The cat is out of the bag," they wrote. "Even in its original version, the bill for a political whitewash commission was fraught with flaws, which the committee's legal adviser raised throughout the debates on the bill." The October Council criticized MK Kallner's draft bill. "The cat is out of the bag," they wrote. "Even in its original version, the bill for a political whitewash commission was fraught with flaws, which the legal adviser to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee raised throughout the discussions on it." "Now the government has chosen to delete the words 'to ensure a full, thorough, and independent investigation' from it, and it is clear to all of us why. For nearly a thousand days, they have not established a state commission of inquiry, while demanding to appoint their own investigators and predetermine the conclusions."In the NewsNo Judges on Oct. 7 Inquiry Commission, Likud MK Proposes in New BillMoving on Without Hamas: Gaza Board of Peace Loses Patience, Pushes Trump PlanIsrael Attacks New York Times for Report on Sexual Violence by Israeli ForcesStolen Rare Coin Showing Temple Artifacts Being Returned From New York to IsraelExplosive Hearing on Israel's Next Spy Chief Exposes the Country's Moral TrapRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIWhatsApp Co-founder Donates Record-breaking $200 Million to Jerusalem HospitalThe Mysterious Copper Scroll and the End of DaysLeaked Video of Arab Lawyer's Violent Arrest Contradicts Israel Police Account'A Slave Economy': Inside Israel's ultra-Orthodox Parallel StateConstruction Begins on Bypass Road to Bring 'One Million' Israelis to West BankZionism Didn't Go Wrong, It Was Always Built This Way