Itzhak Herzog / Photo: Getty Images
Less than a day after President Yitzhak Herzog proposed the establishment of a state commission to investigate the events of 7 October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the initiative. Through his entourage, he stated that “the public deserves a real commission, not a politically biased one”.
This was reported by Time Ukraine | Israel with reference to the Israeli publication Haaretz.
Yitzhak Herzog is a symbolic figure in the Israeli political system, limited in his powers by the Basic Law, but over the past two years he has been trying to contain the political destruction that has accompanied the Netanyahu government’s judicial reform. Calls for compromise, meetings with experts, and attempts to mediate between the parties have all failed. The judicial crisis is only deepening, and after 7 October, the country entered a phase of deep distrust of the government.
Instead of supporting the president’s initiative, Netanyahu responded with his usual political cynicism, saying that any proposal from Herzog was “biased” in advance. This reflects the government’s deep contempt not only for institutions but also for the very idea of democratic balance.
In fact, the president does have means of influence, even if they are not explicitly spelled out in the law. There have been examples in Israeli history of presidents acting contrary to established traditions. In 1982, Yitzhak Navon succeeded in establishing a state commission to investigate the massacres at the Sabra and Shatila camps, publicly opposing the government’s position. In 1986, Chaim Herzog, the father of the current president, pardoned Shabak agents pending a court decision for reasons of national stability.
Is Yitzhak Herzog able to repeat the determination of his predecessors today? Will he have the political will to refuse to sign new laws that undermine the foundations of democracy?
This could be the last peaceful step in the struggle to preserve Israel as a state where the government is accountable and the rule of law is above personal interests. Today, protest movements, human rights activists, lawyers and academics have exhausted all legal means of influence. Their calls for civil disobedience have no effect on a government that does not even recognise legitimate criticism.
When the government breaks all the rules of the game, the only chance to avoid a catastrophe is to refuse to play by its script. And right now, the President of Israel has the opportunity not only to go down in history, but also to save his country from historical shame.
