Nearly four years after Israel’s deadliest civilian disaster in decades, law enforcement officials say they are finally positioned to restart a stalled criminal investigation into the 2021 Meron tragedy, setting up a high-stakes decision for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara that could carry significant legal and political consequences.

Police have informed the Justice Ministry that they can now renew the probe into suspects tied to the disaster, in which 45 people were killed during Lag BaOmer celebrations, after a court order cleared the release of evidence collected by a state commission of inquiry. The investigation had been frozen while the commission was at work, and its files were later sealed in the State Archives under standard 50-year restrictions.

Following consultations with the attorney general’s office, the court authorized the transfer of those materials to police, removing what officials described as the final procedural obstacle. The decision now rests with a team led by Baharav-Miara, which must determine whether to reopen the criminal investigation, how broad it should be, and who — if anyone — could face suspicion.

Menachem Finkelstein, a retired judge who serves as complaints commissioner for state prosecutors, publicly criticized Baharav-Miara last week, accusing her office of “foot-dragging” and warning that further delays could allow statutes of limitation to lapse or render evidence inadmissible.

“This is a disaster that requires decisive treatment,” Finkelstein said, urging an expedited decision to avoid what he described as prolonged injustice for the victims’ families.

The case has been in legal limbo since shortly after the disaster. When the government established the state commission of inquiry, then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit ordered a halt to all related criminal investigations, arguing that parallel probes could interfere with the commission’s work. When the commission concluded its investigation in March 2024, it explicitly recommended that the attorney general examine whether criminal proceedings should be resumed.

Baharav-Miara has said the commission’s findings are still under review and that a broad prosecutorial team is handling the issue. Finkelstein, however, said the months that have passed since the report’s release demand “real acceleration,” noting that police and prosecutors have yet to examine large volumes of material submitted to the commission.

“At this stage, even a decision on whether to open criminal proceedings does not appear to be forthcoming,” he said, calling the situation unacceptable for families who have waited years for answers.

The commission assigned personal responsibility to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though it stopped short of recommending operational steps. It also found Amir Ohana, now speaker of the Knesset and at the time public security minister, personally responsible and recommended barring him from returning to the post. Former police chief Kobi Shabtai was also found personally responsible, with a recommendation that he be removed from office — a step that was not taken amid the war. Shabtai completed his term in July.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)