Former police chief Moshe Karadi utilized his new out-of-uniform status to lash out at the Zeiler Committee, whose investigation of police and prosecution malfeasance led to his resignation.

In an interview with Haaretz this week, Karadi said that he believes many of the committee's conclusions were groundless and "wouldn't hold up in court." He also said that committee members slandered him and the police in interviews with the press after the panel's report was published.

In particular, he cited comments made by retired judge Vardi Zeiler, the committee chairman, to Haaretz: "You're asking me whether crime has penetrated the government in Israel? I don't know. But I do know that if the phenomenon I saw at this one narrow point has spread throughout the Israel Police - it's Sicily." Zeiler also said that he had grave suspicions regarding senior police officer Yoram Levy, but felt there was no solid proof that Levy acted in the interests of the Parinyan family crime organization.

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Karadi said that he believes those comments, and others to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, constituted libel against himself and the police force. The comparison to Sicily, he charged, was either designed to garner headlines or stemmed from a complete lack of understanding of either Israeli or Sicilian history.

Nevertheless, Karadi insisted that he has decided to forget the Zeiler Committee's piercing criticism and the insults from Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and focus on the future. "I don't plan to sink into bitterness and frustration," he said. "I am not oblivious to how grating my final chord was, but the Zeiler Committee is too marginal in my career to impact my overall feeling. I decided to ?delete' the report and look forward."

He declined to criticize Dichter publicly, saying that he said his piece to Dichter behind closed doors.

Zeiler said in response: "I prefer not to respond to the charges, certainly not at this time. There may come a time when I decide to respond."