Dishing Out Blame

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An investigation into Israel’s worst civilian disaster found that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “bears personal responsibility” for the 2021 stampede that killed 45 Jewish pilgrims in northern Israel, Agence France-Presse reported Wednesday.

In April 2021, tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered for an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of second-century Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Mount Meron.

The stampede is believed to have originated in the male section of the gender-segregated crowd as individuals traversed a narrow passageway, which ultimately turned into a deadly chokepoint.

In its report published Wednesday, the inquiry commission found that from 2008 until the stampede, Netanyahu’s office was repeatedly informed of potential hazards caused by high traffic around the tomb, yet no action was taken.

Netanyahu was in power for 12 of those years.

The report accused the prime minister of neglecting the poorly cared-for site and failing to act as expected of a prime minister to prevent the disaster.

Even so, the commission did not recommend any measures against Netanyahu, citing the “unique” nature of his elected role.

Following the findings, opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Netanyahu to resign, warning that “the next disaster is only a matter of time.”

The inquiry began shortly after Netanyahu was replaced by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in June 2021 following that year’s election.

Meanwhile, the report also attributed personal responsibility to parliament speaker Amir Ohana, who oversaw the police at the time, and recommended against reappointing him as public security minister.

It also recommended dismissing Israeli police chief Yaakov Shabtai.