The State Commission of Inquiry formed to investigate the Meron disaster, in which 45 people were killed and over a hundred injured in a deadly crush during Lag Ba'Omer 2021, has submitted its ultimate findings today (Wednesday).
The commission found that everyone - the Prime Minister, the government as a whole, the Police, and the directors of the voluntary associations and organizations responsible for organizing Meron festivals and accommodations there, failed in their duties in one way or another, often shifting responsibility to someone else or disavowing it.
The commission avoided making personal recommendations regarding Netanyahu, the Police Commissioner and some others due to the unique circumstances of their role, but it did make specific recommendations for some, such as recommending that a number of office holders resign and that current Knesset Chairman Amir Ohana not reprise his role as Public Security Minister.
The Police in particular came in for withering criticism for the failure to form clear policies and guidelines to ensure mass events do not end in disaster, especially after the Arad Festival tragedy in 1995, in which three young people were killed in a mass crush.
