Denying knowledge of safety issues and declaring that had he known, he would have dealt with them, Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed responsibility over the Meron disaster last year in which 45 people were killed on Lag Baomer.
"I cannot take responsibility for something I did not know," Netanyahu told the state-appointed commission of inquiry on Thursday, adding that his responsibility pertained to the epidemiological consequences of holding the festival during the height of a COVID-19 outbreak.
In his testimony, Netanyahu said that he "knew hundreds of thousands - 400,000 or 300,000 - I do not remember exactly, people came to Meron. I knew there was ongoing supervision as determined by a government decision." He added that he "did not know there was a critical safety issue. I heard about overcrowding, but do not think we knew there was a safety issue."
Netanyahu also stated that he was not directly involved in the growing safety situation in Mount Meron, and his role was "merely to approve the designation of a responsible body," which was the Tourism Ministry and later the Religious Affairs Ministry at the time, adding that "as Prime Minister, I don't deal with such things."
"You were Prime Minister for 12 years, this issue has been floating around for 12 years, how do you explain that the issue has not been addressed?" the panel chair, former judge Devora Berliner asked Netanyahu, who claimed in response that he has done more about the subject than any other prime minister.
Berliner pointed out while questioning Netanyahu that there was a report by the Comptroller indicating serious deficiencies and safety hazards and that the document in question had a sub-document detailing the 'Prime Minister's comments on the audit report'.
"Was this brought to your attention? Your office has signed off on it," Berliner asked. Netanyahu responded by saying that It was done by the bureaucrats in the Prime Minister's Office and was not brought to his attention.
"As prime minister, I received countless letters and requests, I only actually saw a small fraction of them, even if it's from government committees," Netanyahu said.
"The are hundreds, if not thousands of safety issues even right now, a disaster could happen at any moment, you can't respond to every single one," he added. "These things happen."
"The are hundreds, if not thousands of safety issues even right now, a disaster could happen at any moment, you can't respond to every single one, these things happen."
Benjamin Netanyahu
Asked about alleged pressure from the ultra-Orthodox community, Netanyahu denied the claim , saying that "I have not been pressured by anyone, especially by the ultra-Orthodox. In 2020, I made a very unpopular decision to close down Meron due to COVID-19 restrictions, how does that imply I was pressured."
Netanyahu continued to point out that the decision to open Meron for the festivities in 2021 was made solely according to recommendations by the Health Ministry regarding the risk of the spread of COVID-19.
Netanyahu's testimony came at the end of 42 meetings and after hearing the testimony of 143 witnesses. He is expected to be the last witness to testify before the committee.
After his testimony, the committee will work on summarizing the evidence and publish warning letters to those deemed responsible for the disaster.
In its deliberations, the committee examined the preparations of the police and the government for the Lag B'Omer celebration in 2021, which took place at a time when COVID-19 restrictions on mass events still applied.
Government ministers evaded enacting regulations that exempt the celebration of COVID restrictions, and at the same time failed to enforce said restrictions, turning a "blind eye" to the event.
The committee also found that every year the number of participants increased, and there was a real concern for human life, yet no action was taken to address the concerns.
Northern District Police Chief resigns
Netanyahu's testimony comes a few days after the chief of the Northern District Police, Shimon Lavi, resigned.
Lavi justified his resignation as taking responsibility for his part in the Meron disaster, but apparently, the committee's expected warning letters played a part in his decision. The police denied the allegation, stating that his resignation was "for the reasons he has stated and nothing more."