Commission of Inquiry Holds Netanyahu Responsible for Israel’s Worst Civilian Disaster

Jerusalem, 6 March, 2024 (TPS) -- A state commission of inquiry investigating Israel’s worst civilian disaster held Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally responsible for the tragedy in a report released on Wednesday.

Forty-five people were killed and 150 people were injured in a stampede at a holy site on Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee during the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer on April 30, 2021. The tragedy was triggered by a combination of overcrowded conditions and a faulty walkway in a narrow passage.

The report determined that Netanyahu bore personal responsibility, saying, “Our conclusion is that there is a reasonable basis to determine that Netanyahu knew that the site of [the tomb] has been poorly cared for for years, and that this could create a risk for the crowds of visitors. Even if we assume that Netanyahu had no real knowledge of the matter, under the circumstances he should have known it.”

However, the report added, “Since the position of Prime Minister is essentially an elected position, with unique characteristics, the committee decided not to recommend an operative recommendation in his case.”

Among the other officials held responsible include then-Minister of Religious Services Rabbi Yaakov Avitan, then-Minister of Internal Security Amir Ohana, and outgoing Police Superintendent Kobi Shabtai.

The report recommended that Avitan not be appointed to any ministerial position in the future. It also recommended that Ohana — now the Speaker of the Knesset — not be reappointed as Minister of Internal Security. Shabtai’s tenure as Israel’s top police officer was scheduled to expire in January, but was extended for six months because of the war with Hamas. Shabtai is due to step down on July 17.

The commission also recommended that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara renew criminal investigations related to the disaster, stressing, “The work of the committee is not a criminal procedure. It has other tools and characteristics, and should not be considered a substitute for the work of investigative bodies in the criminal field.”

Mount Meron, is the burial place of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second-century sage whose works continue to serve as the foundation of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. Celebrations on the anniversary of his death are marked with bonfires. The yearly event draws around 100,000 people.

Lag B’Omer this year begins at sundown on May 25. Celebration are widely expected to be scaled back because of the war. An army base located on the same mountain has been hit by Hezbollah rocket fire.