Israel’s Supreme Court halts investigation into October 7 failures

Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday issued an injunction suspending State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman’s investigation into the military and Shin Bet for alleged failings that led to Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7.

Judge Gila Canfy Steinitz attributed the court’s decision to “the complex security situation,” referring to Israel’s ongoing war against Gaza, during which 37,337 Palestinians have now been killed and large parts of the enclave have been rendered uninhabitable.

The judge said the planned investigation could have a detrimental effect on Israel’s war effort because it would examine “the (army’s) combat support systems, including key operational issues and the preparations required at this time to deal with them.” Haaretz reported.

The auditor’s investigation will be suspended until at least July, when the court will hear the appeals against the investigation.

Sunday’s injunction was issued in response to a petition by the Movement for Quality Government and former senior Israeli defense officials. The plaintiffs argued that “an investigation of the army at this time would be detrimental to the war effort, national security and public trust.”

Army General Herzi Halevi has opposed the investigation since it was first announced in December, claiming it could “harm the war effort.”

Engelman stresses that it is “urgent to do this at this stage at all levels: civil, political and military,” he said. Maariv.

The investigation has sparked fierce controversy in Israel amid fears that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to shift blame for his government’s failures regarding October 7 onto the military and intelligence services.

Englman was appointed directly by Netanyahu and not selected by an independent panel as is usual.

Many senior officers in the Israeli army believe that Netanyahu deliberately sabotaged the military’s internal investigations and is trying to exert power over Halevi by “activating” Englman, according to Haaretz.

Both the Israeli government and the military have come under domestic criticism for their handling of October 7, as the events of that day – in which around 1,190 Israelis were killed – have still not been fully clarified.

The Israeli army claims that Netantahu received four different warnings from Military Intelligence before the attack between March and July 2023, which the prime minister denies.