The Israeli government is currently debating whether to establish an examination committee into the military's actions in Gaza. This discussion is taking place as a result of the UN Fact-Finding Mission's report, which found that Israel had committed war crimes and perhaps crimes against humanity against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. According to Justice Richard Goldstone, who headed the mission, Israel must conduct an independent investigation and prosecute violators, or political leaders and military commanders might find themselves before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Adalah has previous experience of working before an official commission of inquiry. The Or Commission was established after enormous public pressure to investigate the killings of 13 Palestinian citizens of Israel by police in October 2000. Despite the fact that the Or Commission possessed ample incriminating evidence and recommended the opening of criminal investigations against those responsible for the fatal shootings, the Attorney General (AG) decided in 2008 that no police officers or commanders would face criminal indictment.

If the killing of Palestinian citizens of Israel during civil protest demonstrations did not lead to any indictments, can anyone imagine  the AG indicting a single soldier or officer for actions undertaken during Operation Cast Lead? The AG did not respect the Or Commission's recommendations. What, then, can we realistically expect from an examination committee that will have less power and a lower status than an official commission, and after the AG's office has already 'legalized' all the military actions carried out by the army during Cast Lead by giving it legal advice and support throughout the operation?