IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi on Monday responded to the chairman of the Religious Zionist Party, MK Bezalel Smotrich, who attacked the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) for its conduct vis-à-vis the assassination of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
"Rabin was murdered because of wild incitement and intolerance. He was murdered because of a loss of values and morals," wrote Kochavi.
Smotrich was criticized on Sunday after he said during the memorial ceremony for Rabin in the Knesset that the security services encouraged his assassin.
"Not only did the security services not stop the assassination, but they also used irresponsible manipulation, that until this day has not been fully revealed, to encourage the murderer to carry out his actions. Those who failed to protect Rabin were the security services which used irresponsible manipulation," he said.
The former head of the Shin Bet, MK Avi Dichter (Likud), also attacked Smotrich in an interview with Reshet Bet radio on Monday.
"Throwing mud of such magnitude at the Shin Bet, these are dark words. The awareness of the failure of Rabin's security is very deep. The investigations that followed were very deep. Manipulations are not a working method, certainly not in the Shin Bet. I would suggest that Smotrich influence the future and not the past," said Dichter.
In response to the uproar caused by his remarks, the chairman of the Religious Zionist Party wrote on his Twitter account that "there is no conspiracy, the abominable murderer Yigal Amir murdered Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and we are all still pained and shocked by the terrible murder."
Smotrich added, "Yes, there was a major failure by the Jewish department of the Shin Bet, and yes, to this day, it refuses to take responsibility for it. The media, as is its custom, is once again distorting and misrepresenting."