Supreme Court President, Justice Yitzhak Amit, agreed to President Yitzhak Herzog's proposal that if a decision is made to establish a state investigation committee to investigate the events of October 7, its composition will be determined in consultation with Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg, who is considered a conservative and is expected to be appointed Vice President soon.
A statement from the President's Office at the end of Shabbat stated:
""President Yitzhak Herzog met with the President of the Supreme Court, Justice Yitzhak Amit. The President emphasized to Justice Amit his full confidence in him as the head of the judicial branch, and his support for him" - this is in contrast to the position of the Minister of Justice, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Knesset and most members of the coalition, who do not recognize his authority.
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""The President shared with Judge Amit that since the day of the October 7 tragedy, thousands of citizens, including many bereaved families and families of kidnapped people who met with him, have demanded and asked for a thorough investigation into the terrible disaster through an independent investigation.".
""During their conversation, the President of the State proposed a way to reach agreement on the establishment of a state investigation committee to investigate the events of the October massacre. According to it, if it is decided to establish a committee under existing law, its composition will be determined by Judge Amit in consultation with Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg, who is expected to be appointed Vice President soon.".
""Supreme Court President Amit expressed his agreement to this proposal out of an aspiration to reach an agreed path for the establishment of an investigative committee.".
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes the proposal, and those around him were quick to reject it: "The public is entitled to a genuine and non-politically biased investigative committee, whose composition represents the majority of the people and which will investigate everyone – without exception. Unfortunately, that is not what is being proposed here.".
Commentator Amit Segal noted: "The important words here are 'and interrogate everyone' - referring to the court. Even if Solberg himself appoints alone, the Likud will oppose.".
Minister of Communications, Dr. Shlomo Kari, sharply attacked the president's proposal, saying: "The proposal is at best a Purim joke that is not particularly funny.".
Karai added: "Amit, Solberg and the other Supreme Court justices should not lead the investigation - they should be among those being investigated." According to him, "the public demands the truth, not a cover-up committee that will embarrass those close to them and protect the High Court justices, who for years have severely damaged the deterrent power of the State of Israel.".
MK Simcha Rotman of the Religious Zionist Party responded to the outline presented by the President of the State for establishing a state investigation committee, claiming that it was an irrelevant proposal. According to him, "the judicial system needs to be examined and investigated no less than all other systems of government.".
Rothman emphasized that the appointment of Justice Yitzhak Amit as President of the Supreme Court "has no public legitimacy," adding that the appointment by Amit - even if in conjunction with Justice Noam Solberg - would not allow for a proper investigation.
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid said, as expected, that the proposal is "considerate and balanced, does not violate the authority of the Honorable Justice Amit, and allows for the establishment of a state investigation committee that will gain the trust of an absolute majority of the Israeli public." It should be noted that, contrary to his words, it does not allow for a committee that will gain the trust of the majority of the public.
