London, Saturday, November 6, 1999

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MIDDLE EAST

Peres calls for inquiry into Rabin shooting

FROM SAM KILEY IN JERUSALEM

Jerusalem -- SHIMON PERES, the former Israeli Prime Minister, yesterday joined the growing calls for investigations into the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin to be re-opened. The calls come amid evidence that Shin Bet, the Israeli secret service, has been covering up details linking one of its agents with the far Right killer now serving a life sentence in prison.

"I am concerned that there are people - Rabin's family - who believe there is still something to examine, so we must investigate," said Mr Peres, who took over as Prime Minister after Yigal Amir, an ultra-nationalist Jew, shot Rabin.

Recent revelations on the Internet have alleged that Amir and his friend Avishai Raviv, a Shin Bet agent, took part in initiation rites when joining a right-wing group.

Mr Raviv, on trial for allegedly failing to prevent the assassination after he infiltrated right-wing groups opposed to the peace efforts, has been the most inspiring link for conspiracy theorists who believe that Shin Bet was involved.

Rabin's daughter, Dalia Rabin-Pelosoff, has said that she was perturbed by "many unanswered questions".

She asked why security men did not shoot the killer immediately.But she said that she did not believe that Shin Bet had been involved in the killing. "Such an idea is horrible. However, it is legitimate that it should arise in view of all the unanswered questions".