Ex-Shin Bet officials accuse Netanyahu of ‘promoting conspiracy theories’

Hundreds of former members of the Israeli General Security Service (Shin Bet) yesterday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of promoting the “conspiracy theory” that spread following the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in his autobiography, and supporting the theory that the Shin Bet is responsible for inciting extreme right-wing elements which paved the way for the assassination.

This came in a strongly worded letter sent by the former Shin Bet members, including five former heads of the service, to Netanyahu. In his book, Bibi: My Story, Netanyahu mentions a protest that took place a month before Rabin’s death, during which leaflets bearing Rabin’s picture wearing the uniform of the Nazi SS security forces were distributed.

He said a former Shin Bet agent, Avishai Raviv, code name “Champagne”,  was tasked with inciting protesters from the religious right.

Shin Bet officials said Netanyahu’s allegations “undermine the Shin Bet’s legitimacy and distort history,” and demanded that he retract his “false statements.” The letter stated that the Shin Bet “was accused of knowingly and intentionally directing agent Raviv to incite one group against another.”

“You mentioned that the Shin Bet printed a poster of Rabin in Nazi Special Forces uniform and sent it to Raviv to distribute it with the aim of harming the right-wing camp. You are not an ordinary citizen, you are the prime minister of Israel. Your decision to publish such a lie encourages delusional conspiracy theories and harms the legitimacy of the agency.”

Former Shin Bet officer, Dvir Kariv, who served as the Shin Bet’s intelligence coordinator during Rabin’s assassination, said Netanyahu’s allegations were “unfounded”, and added that “the person who prepared the leaflet was a young man named S. He was investigated, he confessed and was convicted.”

The letter, signed by 339 former officials in the service, added: “We have been silent for 28 years and we will not be silent any longer. Netanyahu must take back these words and say: ‘I was wrong’.”

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