Iran Press/ West Asia: A probe into Israel’s worst civilian disaster found Israeli PM Netanyahu “bears personal responsibility” for the deadly 2021 crowd crush that killed 45 Jewish pilgrims.
It found that Netanyahu’s office had been forewarned of hazards at a pilgrimage site but did not act to address them.
The probe looked into the April 2021 pilgrimage to a rabbi’s tomb at Mount Meron near the Lebanese border attended by tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews.
A crush occurred when crowds of pilgrims got stuck in a narrow entrance to the tomb.
The probe’s finding further adds to the pressure facing Netanyahu, who has also been blamed for intelligence failures leading up to Hamas’s October 7 attack and for failing to secure the release of some 130 Israeli captives thought to still be inside Gaza.
Five months into the war, Netanyahu is also struggling to keep a divided war cabinet on his side and to resist pressure from Western allies to rein in Israeli military operations.
“The report published today shows that the disaster could have been prevented,” Lapid said in a post on X. “It indicates criminal negligence, arrogance and disconnection, it indicates complete irresponsibility. If Netanyahu were an ordinary citizen, he would stand trial today for causing death by negligence and go to prison.”
If Netanyahu stays in power, “the next disaster is only a matter of time”, Lapid added.
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