Eighth Suspect Accused In Rabin Case; Extremist Crackdown Continues

In a widening conspiracy case, police on Wednesday accused a 20-year-old Jewish settler of playing a major role in the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin as well as planning attacks on Arabs.

Police sources said authorities were searching for at least one more conspirator as well as a rabbi who may have issued a religious ruling justifying the killing.

At the same time, police continued a crackdown on extremists, accusing one right-winger of incitement for condoning Rabin’s killing on television and arresting two ultra-Orthodox seminary students for spitting on Rabin’s grave.

Margalit Harshefi, who attended the same religious university as the self-confessed killer Yigal Amir, became the eighth suspect linked to the assassination ring.

“I request to meet with a lawyer. I’m not guilty,” said Harshefi, holding a small blue prayer book as she appeared Wednesday in a magistrate’s court in Petah Tikva.

Police investigator Zion Sasson said she was “one of the dominant members of the group that wanted to kill Rabin,” and added the group also planned to kill Arabs.

Magistrate Eliezer Cohen ordered Harshefi held for 12 more days and noted evidence suggesting “the killer didn’t act alone.”

Also Wednesday, a Tel Aviv magistrate ordered Ohad Skornick, a friend of Amir, held for five more days after police said he knew about plans to assassinate Rabin and did nothing to stop the killing. Skornick denies the allegations.

During a nighttime stakeout at Rabin’s grave, police arrested two ultra-Orthodox seminary students early Wednesday for spitting on the site and accused one of trying to urinate on the grave. The two face a maximum three years in jail.

Rabin’s grave at Mount Herzl has become a pilgrimage site for tens of thousands of Israelis.

In another case, a man from the West Bank Jewish settlement of Shani was charged with encouraging revolt and supporting terrorism for condoning Rabin’s killing in a television interview.

The court ordered David Balashan held pending a bail hearing Friday.

Haim Misgav, Balashan’s attorney, said his client had “just said a few nasty words after Rabin’s death. They want to make a precedent of him and use him as a deterrent.”