The state service honoring slain Minister Rehavam Ze'evi was held Tuesday against a backdrop of controversy over an investigation into allegations he sexually assaulted female soldiers under his command while serving in the Israel Defense Forces. Ze'evi was assassinated at the Hyatt Hotel in Jerusalem by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, on Oct. 17, 2001, during the Second Intifada. The then-tourism minister was the most senior Israeli official to be assassinated by terrorists. At the ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, President Reuven Rivlin laid a wreath on Ze'evi's grave. "In the past year, harsh words have been said publicly about Rehavam Ze'evi," Rivlin said. "Even with these difficult allegations, we must memorialize his work for the defense and building of the state and his devotion to Nili," he said, referring to the underground Jewish spy network, which operated in Ottoman-ruled Palestine during World War I. Rivlin said Ze'evi "was murdered for being a minister in Israel. Those who wanted to take his life wanted to harm the entire kingdom, and they did harm it, but the blow has not weakened us." Ze'evi's son, Palmach, blamed journalist Ilana Dayan for publicizing the investigation into his father. "This is not the first time Dayan has tried to sacrifice a man's life," he said. "In the case of Capt. R., a bad woman messed with a man who could prove his innocence. This time, she confronted the deceased." In 2005, Dayan's investigative journalism program "Uvda" ("Fact") suggested that IDF Capt. R., who accidentally killed a 12-year-old Palestinian girl, had acted maliciously. He was later acquitted of all charges in a military court. The program in which the investigation against Ze'evi came to light has sparked controversy as to the state commemoration of the slain minister. Tuesday saw one third of opposition MKs attend the special Knesset session, as lawmakers from the Joint Arab List, Zionist Union, Yesh Atid and Kulanu parties were absent from the plenum. Only five ministers were present: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, Environmental Protection Minister Zeev Elkin and Agriculture and Rural Development Uri Ariel. After a moment of silence was observed, Netanyahu addressed the plenum, saying he said he felt allegations "recently leveled at Gandhi [a nickname for Ze'evi] have hurt us all -- but his family most of all. "Gandhi cannot respond to the allegations leveled at him and defend his name. Everyone has a right to their good name, the living and the dead, and therefore we must be extremely cautious in condemning Gandhi. ... In contrast, there is no dispute as to what Gandhi did on a national, military, diplomatic level here on this land. We must not erase all that he did for the State of Israel," Netanyahu said. Ariel told the assembled he rejected the recent criticism by people who knew Ze'evi was incapable of responding, which he called "a foolish act that demeans us all." Opposition Leader MK Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) admitted he contemplated whether or not to attend the assembly.
According to Herzog, MKs urged him not to speak, but "the murder of a government minister, an IDF general, by the hands of despicable terrorists is an event we must commemorate and derive all the necessary lessons from it."
