Israel’s Netanyahu warned in probe of deadly 2021 stampede

By ISAAC SCHARF
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — The independent commission investigating a deadly stampede at a religious festival in Israel last year says then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be found partly responsible. Tuesday’s announcement could harm Netanyahu — who is already on trial for corruption — ahead of Nov. 1 elections. He hopes to become prime minister again. Netanyahu testified last month that he was not responsible for safety measures at the site. Forty-five people died in the deadly stampede. It happened at a religious festival at Mount Meron in April 2021 that was attended by 100,000 mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews. It was the worst civilian disaster in Israel’s history, and came amid longstanding warnings about safety and overcrowding at the site.