Day 950: Haaretz Reports Full Scope of Likud Inquiry Bill — Not Only Removed 'Independent' Language But Also Bars Sitting Judges, Former Shin Bet Chiefs, and Senior Jurists from Serving on Commission

On May 14, 2026 (Day 950 / Ceasefire Day 217), continued coverage of the Kallner inquiry bill — first flagged in committee May 13 — revealed the full scope of the coalition's restrictions on who could serve on the October 7 investigative commission. Haaretz reporting detailed that MK Ariel Kallner's bill (being debated in the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee) contained not only the previously reported deletion of 'full, thorough, and independent investigation' from the purpose clause, but also a separate provision explicitly barring from commission membership: current or former Supreme Court justices, former Attorneys General, former Shin Bet chiefs, and other senior security and legal officials. The 'no judges' provision would effectively ensure the commission is composed entirely of figures who are politically accessible to the governing coalition rather than professionally independent of it — preventing the Supreme Court president (traditionally the appointing authority for state commissions of inquiry) from naming even a single commission member. This combination — weakened purpose language plus judicial exclusion — drew a formal legal opinion from the Knesset's own legal advisers questioning whether such a body could be described as an 'investigative commission' under Israeli administrative law. Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) declared the bill 'the definitive proof that Netanyahu will never allow anyone with integrity to investigate October 7.' The Bennett-Lapid Beyachad alliance published a joint statement confirming that if elected, their Day 1 governance priority would be dissolving the Kallner commission structure and establishing a fully independent state commission with Supreme Court-appointed leadership and unrestricted subpoena authority — including over the IDF archives and the Prime Minister's correspondence in the years before October 7. The October Council reiterated its legal threat to challenge the bill in the Supreme Court immediately upon passage. As of Day 950, 48 days remain until the Supreme Court's July 1, 2026 deadline for the government to present a 'suitable' investigation framework.