Caught in tug of war between authorities, religious sects and interest groups, Israel's 2nd most-visited Jewish holy place has no full, official state oversight
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Haredi hats and broken glasses are seen at the site of the Mt. Meron disaster in northern Israel, Friday, April 30, 2021 (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
As the initial shock and horror over Thursday night’s deadly crush at Lag B’Omer festivities on Mount Meron began to subside, focus started to turn on Friday toward the matter of who was to blame for the packed conditions at the site that led to the deaths of 45 people and the injuring of dozens of others in the fatal stampede.
Stark questions will likely be directed at political, civil and law enforcement officials involved in planning, approving and securing the event, amid talk of a potential state commission of inquiry to thoroughly investigate the disaster.
As the hours pass from the tragedy, more and more information is coming to light about the many warnings issued by various authorities over the years, from senior traffic cops to the state comptroller, about the potential for chaos and disaster at the Meron site.
The various reports reveal that by standard police safety regulations for public gatherings, the site should not have been permitted to hold more than about 15,000 people. Officials have estimated the crowds at the site last night at over 100,000.
Commander Ilan Mor, head of the operational branch of the national traffic police, produced a document in 2016 titled, “Meron celebrations: Erasing the writing on the wall.”
Bodybags at the scene of the Mount Meron disaster, April 30, 2021 (Screenshot)
However, neither of these two probes has the authority to investigate relevant ministers, including the ministers of public security, interior and religious affairs, and the prime minister himself, all of whom were involved in various meetings relating to preparations for the event.
Both national Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai and Northern Command chief Shimon Lavi are set to be called to give testimony to the PIID probe.
Israael police Northern Command chief Shimon Lavi, at Mt Meron, on April 30, 2021. (YouTube screenshot)
Lavi said soon after the disaster that he bore “overall responsibility” for the event and thus for its consequences. A Channel 13 report said, however, that he does not intend to resign.
Dec 29, 2020
Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gordan Grlić-Radman and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi signed the MOU on Monday in a virtual ceremony.
By Aryeh Savir, TPS
Israel and Croatia signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a strategic partnership between the Foreign Affairs ministries, aiming to promote political and economic cooperation and strengthen relations in areas of mutual interest.
Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gordan Grlić-Radman in Zagreb and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in Jerusalem signed the MOU on Monday in a virtual ceremony.
The signing of the document was agreed on during Grlić-Radman’s official visit to Israel in September, his first visit to to the country which came a few days after the marking of the 23rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Both sides underlined the need to strengthen bilateral relations.