Officials feel heat over Israel stampede
Print Edition
Officials came under growing scrutiny yesterday for ignoring warnings about safety lapses at one of Israel鈥檚 most visited holy sites, as the country mourned 45 ultra-Orthodox Jews killed in a stampede at a festival there.
The disaster at Mount Meron also heated up the debate over the role of the ultra-Orthodox minority in Israel and the refusal of some of its leaders to acknowledge the authority of the state. The festival had drawn some 100,000 people, most of them ultra-Orthodox Jews, after powerful ultra-Orthodox politicians reportedly pressured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others to lift attendance restrictions.
Yesterday, a group of retired police commissioners called on the prime minister to launch an independent probe commission to investigate. The body would have the authority to probe senior politicians and decision-makers, going beyond a Justice Ministry inquiry now under way that is looking into possible misconduct by police officers at the site.
The increasingly acrimonious blame game comes during a political power struggle between Netanyahu and former allies-turned-foes bent on toppling him. After inconclusive elections in March, Netanyahu鈥檚 chances of forming a ruling coalition and staying in power seem to be waning. His ultra-Orthodox political allies would feature prominently in any Netanyahu-led government.
The stampede, the deadliest civil disaster in Israel鈥檚 history, took place on Friday during a festival called Lag BaOmer on Mount Meron in northern Israel. The site is believed to be the burial place of prominent second century sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. The annual springtime celebrations are marked by the lighting of large bonfires, singing and dancing.
This festivities went ahead despite national coronavirus restrictions that prevent assemblies of more than 500 people outdoors, and experts鈥 criticism about the safety of mass assemblies at the site.
The warnings became reality early Friday when thousands of people leaving one area of the site funneled through a narrow passageway descending the mountain. A slick slope and stairs caused people to slip and fall, resulting in a human avalanche that killed 45 people and injured at least 150.
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