A state commission of inquiry says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is personally responsible for the 2021 Meran disaster, which killed 45 people in a stampede at a large 2nd-century burial site on a hilltop in northern Israel.
However, the investigation made no operational recommendations for Mr. Netanyahu. In addition, the commission also holds the former Minister of Public Security, Amir Ohana, personally responsible for the tragedy and recommends that he not be reappointed to the post.
The report also points the finger at police chief Kobi Shabtai as being responsible and should be removed from his post. But given Israel’s current security challenges, the report adds that the government should wait to remove him from office. Yaakov Avitan, who was minister of religious services at the time, was also found personally responsible in the 322-page report. The Commission recommends that he no longer be appointed as Minister.
On April 30, 2021, 45 men and boys were killed during a stampede after 100,000 worshippers, mostly members, during the annual Leg B’Omer celebration at the tomb site of 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on Mount Meron in northern Israel. The ultra-Orthodox community flocked to the holy site, despite longstanding warnings about the complex’s security.
