Pressure growing in Knesset to promote October 7 commemoration law

The Knesset's Education Committee is expected to meet this week to discuss the advancement of the law to commemorate the October 7 massacre.

Those promoting the law have recently been working with senior officials such as Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Coalition Chair Likud MK Ofir Katz, and the prime minister's adviser Nevo Katz to approve the debate that will allow the advancement of the legislation. The legislation has been stalled for months due to the opposition of Prime Minister's Office Director-General Yossi Shelley, who prefers the legislation pass through a government bill.

Even 11 months after the start of the war, the Knesset has yet to approve the law to commemorate the October 7 massacre, with those promoting the law blaming Shelley and accusing him of preventing it because of "honor and ego games."

Over 80 MKs from all parties, with the exception of the Arab parties, have signed the bill. Yitzhak Kreuzer, head of the Otzma Yehudit parliamentary group, is advancing the legislature, along with most of the faction leaders from the coalition and the opposition.

The bill was closely monitored by the Knesset's legal adviser, attorney Sagit Afik, and was already approved in a preliminary reading last July.

The bill, which received wide consensus at the Knesset and the support of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, includes the establishment of a national memorial authority, a budget, the setting of 24 Tishrei as the state memorial day each year, and the manner in which commemorations will be carried out, such as via educational programs or the lowering of national flags.

However, the bill has not reached discussions in the education committee because of pressure exerted by Shelly, pushing for a government bill. 

MKs fear the law will not be approved by the Knesset before the commemoration date arrives.

PMO responds

The Prime Minister's Office responded, "The bill to establish a national commemoration corporation for the events of October 7 and Operation Swords of Iron is of supreme national importance for the restoration of the Gaza border communities, strengthening national resilience, and ensuring the transfer of the values ​​of the heroism of the fallen and their memory to future generations. 

According to the decision of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, which discussed the private bill on the matter, the private proposal will be attached to the government bill when it is brought up for discussion in the Knesset to ensure that the submitted law will be inclusive and exhaustive.

The statement further added that Shelley was "promoting, together with the Tekuma (“Rebirth”) Administration teams and the relevant parties, an updated and optimal version that meets all needs, which will give a broad envelope to the commemoration.

According to the statement, at the last cabinet meeting, a proposed resolution was approved that allocates hundreds of millions of shekels to heritage and commemoration as part of the Tekuma Administration's strategic plan.