Israel’s government on Sunday ordered the formation of a state commission of inquiry into the Mount Meron tragedy on April 30 that resulted in the deaths of 45 people, with another 150 injured, in a stampede during the Lag B’Omer event at the site.
The move was rejected by the previous government due to the ultra-Orthodox parties’ objection to the move.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who presented the motion to the Security Cabinet, said in a statement: “The establishment of a state commission of inquiry is a moral debt to the Israeli public, and also to families. We must make sure that such an event never happens again.” The bereaved families welcomed the move, saying in a statement that while “the decision on a state commission of inquiry will not bring back our loved ones, it will allow us to finally concentrate on commemorating them, rather than on the failures that caused this tragedy. We hope the committee will be headed by a person sensitive to the needs of the haredi public.” This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.
