Israel might be one step closer to establishing a state commission of inquiry into the Lag B'Omer disaster that left 45 people dead and 150 injured. Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit confirmed Monday that there is no legal impediment to establishing such a commission, not even in the case of a provisional government.
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"Although the decision to form such a commission by a provisional government has certain complications, under these difficult circumstances, these complications do not create a legal impediment," he submitted in response to Justice Minister Benny Gantz's request for the attorney general to express his position on the feasibility of such a probe.
According to Mendelblit, the complexity of the incident, the chain of decision-makers, and the mismanagement of the sacred site over multiple years extend beyond the scope of the work of the Israel Police. Therefore, he said, establishing a single body responsible for the thorough investigation of all parties involved in the matter is justified.
Meanwhile, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman visited Mount Meron Tuesday as part of preparations for his review of the events that lead to the disaster.
He said the audit would include the circumstances that led to tragedy, the preparation of the various bodies involved ahead of time, and the actions taken by them since his office's last review of Lag B'Omer festival policies in 2011.
On Monday, Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai convened a police senior command meeting at the Northern District Headquarters in Nazareth and said he would not let the police "become anybody's scapegoat for the continued misconduct of many different bodies."
Over the weekend, police officers across the country changed their profile pictures to that of Northern District Commander Maj. Gen. Shimon Lavie, in support of the commander who oversaw the security arrangements for the Lag B'Omer celebrations and took responsibility for the disaster on Friday.
Those who expressed their support "are police officers who used to be under his command," one officer said. "I too used to be his subordinate and I can testify that he is a wonderful person, humane, moral, and exceptional in his qualities."
Lavie's associates do not expect him to resign. "Is the police to blame? Who built the ramp? It is not even something the police does," one of them said. "The sacred site receives millions of shekels in donations. Where did all the money go?"
Meanwhile, the Knesset held a special session Monday devoted to the incident.
"It is our fundamental duty to examine every aspect of the Meron disaster," Prime Minister Netanyahu said. "After the period of mourning is over, we will examine in an orderly, thorough and responsible fashion every matter that is connected to gatherings on the mountain in the present and past."
Netanyahu said the investigation would include "arrival, security, entry, exit, the allocation of time and security forces and, above all, the engineering changes that are required at the site, and the issue of expropriation, management, and responsibility."
At the meeting, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said the terrible disaster was fated, but that "does not exempt us from scrutiny and self-examination."
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