The defense for the confessed assassin of Yitzhak Rabin tried to show in court this week that a suspected secret service informant had encouraged the killing.
In Tel Aviv District Court on Sunday, defense attorneys tried to emphasize the role of Avishai Raviv, the suspected agent who founded an extreme-right group, Eyal, with which Yigal Amir was loosely linked.
Amir, a 25-year-old religious Jew, is on trial for the Nov. 4 murder of the Prime minister.
Raviv reportedly worked for Israel’s domestic intelligence service, the Shin Bet.
“He egged Yigal Amir on,” testified Eran Ojalbou, an Eyal activist and Raviv’s former roommate. “Avishai Raviv would agitate against Arabs and politicians.”
The roommate added, “He called Rabin a traitor.”
Amir, who opposes the government’s peace policies with the Palestinians, maintains that he intended only to paralyze Rabin to force him out of politics.
Earlier Sunday, Shin Bet officials testified at a closed-door session at the request of the defense. The court also heard testimony from police officers at the Nov. 4 peace rally.
Psychiatrists who recently examined Amir and declared him fit for trial were scheduled to appear later this week.
Judge Edmond Levy on Sunday ordered lawyers to be ready with their closing arguments in a week.
In a separate trial, Amir faces charges of plotting the slaying.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
