Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not present, as he was speaking at the Israel Air Force pilot cadets ceremony.
The Knesset on Wednesday approved a preliminary reading of MK Ariel Kallner’s (Likud) bill to establish a political commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre.
“I’m here today to extend a hand and do this together, with a bill for a state commission that is national, equitable, and balanced,” he said during the vote.
Members of the opposition physically ripped the bill in protest.
The vote passed 53-48. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not present, as he was speaking at the Israel Air Force pilot cadets ceremony.
The bill will now be brought back to the Knesset’s House Committee for further discussion.
Opposition members of Israel’s Knesset tear up a bill during a preliminary vote to establish a political commission of inquiry, December 24, 2025. (VIA WALLA)
What would this plan entail?
Under the proposal, the commission would be composed of six members chosen through a process inside the Knesset: half appointed by coalition and half by opposition factions.
If broad agreement on membership cannot be reached, coalition members would effectively control appointments, including through intervention by the Knesset speaker.
The bill deliberately bypasses the current legal mechanism under which a state commission of inquiry would be appointed by the president of the Supreme Court, a feature that has drawn sharp opposition from legal authorities and detractors who say the new structure lacks judicial independence and could politicize the inquiry.
Political comission is ‘painful, inconceivable step’
Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the worst-struck on October 7, said the preliminary approval of the political commission “is a painful and inconceivable step for those of us who lived through the October 7 atrocities and continue to pay their price daily.”
It continued, “We call for a genuine, professional, independent and state commission – not a political one – focused on accountability, public safety, and national recovery, and urge lawmakers to act with responsibility and respect, not at the expense of our pain.”
The October Council, a forum representing families of victims and hostages from October 7, said, ““Our struggle has only just begun. The cover-up will not pass.”
