Dichter: Belief that Jew won’t kill PM was murdered in 1995
In rally marking 13th anniversary of Rabin assassination, internal security minister says, 'A senior rabbi who doesn’t hesitate to compare IDF soldiers evacuating an outpost to German forces creates an atmosphere in which ill words can lead to murder'
Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter said Monday that "the understanding that a Jew won't murder a prime minister was assassinated in November of 1995."
Speaking at a rally at the Achva College in southern Israel, marking the 13th anniversary of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, Dichter noted that "a senior rabbi who doesn’t hesitate to compare IDF soldiers evacuating an outpost to German forces creates an atmosphere in which ill words can lead to murder."
He went on to accuse the extreme right. "Today's soldiers were small children at the time of the murder. Today they are troops who understand and are required to deal with extremists, who produced that same despicable murder who carried out this act."
The minister said that attempts to compare the Akko riots to the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom in Germany were dangerous statements which must be stopped.
"This is a red light compelling us to understand where the borders are and which lines must not be crossed. Because words create an atmosphere," he said.
Dichter at the rally (Photo: Yehuda Haviv)
He noted that he and Rabin were close acquaintances at the time Dichter served as head of the Shin Bet's Southern District when terror attacks rocked the country.
"I remember him arriving for visits at the military units, and it was amazing listening to him conduct a strategic analysis," he said.
Additional events and rallies in honor of the slain prime minister were scheduled to be held Monday across the country. The state ceremony will take place at 3 pm on Jerusalem's Mount Herzl and will be attended by President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, among others.
Two hours later, the Knesset will hold a special meeting in memory of Rabin. On Monday evening, Jerusalem mayoral candidates Meir Porush and Nir Barkat are expected to take part in a public discourse between religious and secular which will deal with the Rabin murders.
On Saturday evening, tens of thousands of people gathered at Tel Aviv's Rabin Square for the main memorial service marking the 13th anniversary of the prime minister's assassination.
During his speech, President Shimon Peres tried to relay a message of unity, saying "next year at Rabin Square I want to see those Israelis who do not identify with this memorial service; I want to see that segment of the population that was not involved in that terrible evening (assassination) and did not pull the trigger."
Labor Chairman Barak referred to the Jewish extremists' threats. “We used to call them weeds, today they are no less than cancerous growths…There was writing on the wall then that we weren’t wise enough to see,” he said.
