At a stormy meeting of the Knesset Arrangements Committee, a bill that would form a state commission of inquiry to investigate the tragedy at the Tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Meron on Lag Ba’omer was advanced in a 19-13 vote.
With so many cataclysmic events taking place since April 30 that have pushed the disaster off headlines and away from the public’s consciousness, it might be worthwhile to review what happened less than four weeks ago.
In the deadliest civilian disaster in Israel’s history, 45 people were crushed to death and over 150 injured at a mass gathering to celebrate the holiday at Mount Meron.
Since then, no arrests have been made, and no one from the police – in charge of securing the event – has resigned.
Northern Command chief Shimon Lavi said soon after the disaster that he bore “overall responsibility” for the event and its consequences. Public Security Minister Amir Ohana also wrote after the event that “I am responsible, but responsibility does not mean blame.”
Efforts to form a state inquiry began immediately after the disaster, and have since been gathering steam.
Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg wrote a letter to Chairwoman of the Knesset Arrangements Committee Karin Elharar urging the formation of the inquiry as being necessary to properly investigate the incident.
“It is clear that the government refuses to take responsibility,” Zandberg wrote. “We must do everything we can to prevent the next disaster from happening and learn the lessons.”
Zandberg received support from some unlikely allies. Some families of the Meron victims published an open letter on Monday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also calling for an independent government commission of inquiry.
In the letter signed “Forum of the Bereaved Families of the Meron Holy Ones,” the families wrote: “To our great sorrow, in recent days voices have emerged that are seeking a committee of inquiry that is not an independent, governmental one. We want to say aloud, unequivocally, and unmistakably – speaking as one family – that we demand an independent commission of inquiry. We believe that only a government commission of inquiry will complete the investigation fully.”
Israel Hayom reported that after the letter was made public, associates of some haredi MKs began reaching out to the bereaved families in an attempt to persuade them to change their minds, asking them to sign a petition against a commission of inquiry.
Then, unbelievably, at Monday’s Knesset committee meeting, haredi MKs and colleagues from the Likud and the Religious Zionist Party tried their best to prevent the vote, organizing a walkout and a filibuster.
As the Post’s Gil Hoffman reported, the MKs said they would prefer an informal public committee to a formal commission of inquiry headed by a Supreme Court judge. United Torah Judaism MK Yakov Asher said he voted against advancing the bill because it would advance political interests and postpone giving the families of the victims the help that they need from the state.
The efforts by those who would prefer to keep the investigation informal and ‘quiet’ is so transparent that it would be laughable if it weren’t so sad. They are clearly trying to smother any potential findings that would incriminate them in any way as being culpable for the tragic event that unfolded.
An official state inquiry into the worst civilian disaster Israel has ever known is imperative. Although such a probe would not have the authority to hand out punishment or demand dismissals, the families of the victims – and the country at large – deserve to know what happened, who looked the other way, who bowed to political pressure, and who is really responsible.
The 13 members of the Knesset Arrangements Committee who voted against the formation of the state inquiry – including members of Israel’s governing coalition – should be ashamed that their instincts for self-preservation are more powerful than their sense of justice.