"In the struggle over the disengagement someone is likely to distort the rabbis' messages," Katsav told Army Radio.

The result, he said, could be "extremist actions" and "the distorted conclusion that to prevent Israel's destruction, one must assassinate the prime minister."

Katsav made the comments a day after the Shin Bet security service measured Sharon and members of his cabinet for bulletproof vests, a sign of mounting fears of violence against Israeli leaders ahead of the pullout due to begin in mid-August.