The Media Line: Culture Minister Zohar Says Oct 7 Probe Won’t Single Out Netanyahu 

Culture Minister Zohar Says Oct 7 Probe Won’t Single Out Netanyahu  

By The Media Line Staff  

Culture Minister Miki Zohar said Thursday that any investigation into the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre would not single out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the main or sole figure responsible, arguing that the failures reflected years of collective misjudgment across Israel’s political and security systems.  

Speaking to the Walla news site, Zohar dismissed claims that a commission of inquiry would inevitably blame Netanyahu, saying such assumptions ignored the broader context behind the attack. “Anyone who thinks a commission would conclude that the main, the only culprit is Netanyahu is living in a dream world,” he said. “This is a complex methodological event that goes back decades. All Israeli citizens were complacent; we were all in a euphoria.”  

His remarks followed a Knesset vote advancing legislation to establish a politically appointed investigative panel, rather than a state commission of inquiry. Critics say the move allows the government to shape the scope of the probe and avoid accountability for the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. Zohar rejected that criticism, saying responsibility spans multiple governments and political camps.  

According to Zohar, the inquiry should examine decisions taken under past leaders, including former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, as well as former ministers Benny Gantz and Avigdor Liberman. He also said security agencies, including the Shin Bet, must be scrutinized.  

Public opinion polls have consistently shown strong support for a state commission of inquiry, Israel’s most authoritative investigative mechanism. Several Likud ministers, including Zohar, previously backed that option but later reversed course, arguing that such a commission would be biased because its members would be appointed by High Court President Isaac Amit, amid the coalition’s prolonged confrontation with the judiciary.