News
Report: officials given two weeks to respond to State Comptroller report
State Comptroller Joseph Shapira is set to submit the nearly-final version of his report into the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict this week to the Prime Minster and other officials in office at the time.
Haaretz reported that those mentioned in the report will be given two weeks to respond before the report is distributed more widely.
The State Comptroller’s report is known to be critical of the security cabinet’s behaviour and decisions before and during Operation Protective Edge between Israel and Hamas in 2014. Its reported 550 pages analyse the threat of the tunnels from Gaza, the decision making process within the security cabinet, the cabinet’s performance before and during the war, and the preparedness of the home front. It also looks at how far IDF activity complied with international law, as recommended by the Turkel Commission.
Parts of the report were leaked to Haaretz in May and were highly critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon and then IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz. In particular, the leaked extract identified a failure of the trio to adequately consult with the security cabinet as the operation unfolded, and indicated that they did not take seriously enough the threat of Hamas’ underground network of attack tunnels. These revelations caused significant tension between the PM, Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett and former defence minister Moshe Ya’alon, and the release of the report this week will likely further strain the coalition.
Since May, ministers and the PM have met with the Comptroller to discuss allegations in the report. Netanyahu has held a number of briefings with journalists to explain the management of the 2014 Gaza war and the preparedness for it.
More than 30 tunnels, some extending beyond the Gaza border, were uncovered and destroyed by the IDF forces during Operation Protective Edge. Hamas has since set about rebuilding the subterranean network, while Israel is constructing an underground barrier and developing technological solutions to combat the threat.