Day 960: 38 Days to Supreme Court July 1 Accountability Deadline — Knesset Coalition Pushes Kallner Bill Toward First Plenum Reading; Election Battle Over October 7 Accountability Defines 2026 Israeli Politics; NILI Campaign Continues

On May 24, 2026 (Day 960 / Ceasefire Day 227), the October 7 accountability crisis entered its final 38 days before the Supreme Court of Israel's July 1, 2026 hard constitutional deadline for the government to present a credible investigation framework — having been described by the High Court of Justice as an 'unacceptable' 32-month absence of any formal October 7 probe. The Knesset coalition's Kallner inquiry bill — Likud MK Ariel Kallner's proposed politically appointed October 7 investigation commission — was advancing toward its first full Knesset plenum reading expected in late May 2026, having passed both a preliminary reading (mid-May) and the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee (May 13). The revised bill has been substantially weakened from its original form: (1) the phrase 'full, thorough, and independent investigation' was removed from its purpose clause; (2) a new Likud amendment bars current or former Supreme Court justices from serving; (3) appointment requires a Knesset supermajority of 80 MKs, giving the opposition effective veto over commission composition — but this provision has also been criticized as susceptible to political gridlock. Attorney General Baharav-Miara called the bill 'tailor-made for the government's personal needs.' President Herzog warned that a politically appointed probe would 'significantly harm' the quest for truth. On the operational accountability front, Israel's NILI task force — revealed by the Wall Street Journal on May 21–22 — was continuing its kill-or-capture campaign against all ~3,000 identified October 7 participants through the ceasefire period, with 'hundreds' eliminated. The 2026 Israeli legislative election, expected later in 2026, was being framed by opposition figures including Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon as being 'about the October 7 debacle, and not anything else.' The Beyachad alliance of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid — pledging an independent state commission as Day 1 of any new government — polls as the leading alternative to the Netanyahu coalition. France and Poland have banned Israeli National Security Minister Ben Gvir from their territories (France on May 23) over flotilla activist mistreatment — adding international pressure on Israeli government accountability broadly. 2,400+ Israeli ceasefire violations documented; 857+ Palestinians killed since the October 10, 2025 ceasefire (Day 227); Phase Two negotiations remain in total deadlock.