The Fox Guards the Henhouse: Israel’s Oct. 7 Inquiry, Self-Served

The Art of Self-Investigation

After months of theatrical suspense and a national appetite for accountability, Israel’s government has agreed to launch an investigation into the cascade of blunders that led to the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack—the deadliest assault in the country’s history. The catch? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a man never accused of lacking self-esteem, will personally oversee the probe into his own administration’s failings. One can almost hear the nation’s collective sigh.

🦉 Owlyus preens: "When the magician investigates his own disappearing act, don’t expect to find the rabbit."

Traditionally, Israel has summoned retired judges to head independent state commissions after major governmental mishaps. But tradition, like last season’s fashion, can be cast aside when inconvenient. Netanyahu, steadfast in his resistance to outside scrutiny, has announced a government-formed committee whose membership he will curate. Details to follow—in 45 days, give or take a news cycle.

Public Outrage: Less Inquiry, More Inquisition

The opposition leader, Yair Lapid, labeled the move a slap in the face to both the victims of Oct. 7 and the soldiers lost since. “A commission investigating itself” is how critics, like the Movement for Quality Government, have described this exercise—preferring the term “cover-up commission” for clarity.

The numbers are not subtle: Roughly 1,200 Israelis were killed and over 250 kidnapped on Oct. 7. Since then, nearly 500 Israeli soldiers have died, while Palestinian health officials tally more than 69,000 Palestinian casualties from Israel’s retaliatory campaign. Against this backdrop, a poll last month found nearly three-quarters of Israelis—across political divides—demand an independent inquiry. Even 68% of Netanyahu’s own base voted for sunlight over self-reflection.

🦉 Owlyus flaps in: "If three-quarters of the villagers want an outside umpire, maybe don’t put the coach’s brother in charge."

Yet, thousands took to Tel Aviv’s streets, waving the banner of independence, only to be met with the government’s promise that, yes, they’ll look into the problem—once they’ve decided who gets to hold the magnifying glass.

Of Rabbits, Hats, and Responsibility

Netanyahu, currently starring in his own corruption trial (unrelated, he insists), contends that Israel’s judiciary is too powerful, and that only broad agreement—presumably by those already in power—can secure public trust. The logic is circular; the rhetoric, well-practiced.

Previous investigations by Israel’s military and security branches have already cataloged a parade of missed signals and strategic misjudgments. The prevailing wisdom among critics is that the government’s years-long strategy—deterrence, cash shipments to Gaza, marginalizing the Palestinian Authority—proved less effective than hoped. A key military takeaway: Hamas was underestimated, both in intention and capability. While Israel’s generals braced for an eight-point invasion, Hamas arrived with over sixty attack routes. Oops.

The fallout has been dramatic: a mass exodus from the upper ranks of the military and intelligence world, while the political echelon clings to its seats, determined to investigate itself at its own convenience.

🦉 Owlyus, with a final hoot: "When the fox writes the henhouse audit, expect glowing reviews—feathers optional."

The Absurdity of Self-Scrutiny

At its core, this is a chronicle of accountability deferred. The Israeli public, battered and grieving, demands answers from its government. The government offers itself as the answer. In this ouroboros of oversight, the promise of transparency risks disappearing altogether—swallowed by the very system meant to deliver it.

But perhaps, in the fullness of time (or at least after 45 days), the nation will learn what it already suspects: that foxes make poor guardians of hens and even worse impartial investigators.