Report Says Israeli Security Exposed Rabin To Risks

JERUSALEM: A report into Yitzhak Rabin's assassination finds that Israel's security service "exposed the Prime Minister to serious risks." The Shamgar Commission, in its report regarding Rabin's assassination by a Jewish extremist at a peace rally, recommended punishments for three senior Shin Bet officials. It said no further punishment was needed for the two officials, including the chief, who resigned after the Nov. 4 assassination. Rabin's assassin, Yigal Amir, began his life sentence today after being convicted by a three-judge panel on Wednesday. Rabin had been under threats by right-wing activists after signing the historic Israel-PLO peace pact in 1993. They called Rabin a "traitor" and a "murderer" for his decision to trade land for peace. The commission found that security forces did not respond properly to threats made on Rabin's life. "The Shin Bet did not do enough in terms of adjusting its protection methods to the new risk to cope with the worsening threat and did not ensure that its VIP bodyguards properly understood the severity of the threat," the report said. TIME correspondent Lisa Beyer says the country has shown a remarkable ability to recover from the tragedy. "I'm surprised the assassination hasn't felt like an open wound," Beyer says. "The country has gotten back up on its feet quickly. At the time, that seemed inconceivable."