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The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin took place on November 4 1995 at 21:30, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo agreements at the Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv.
The assassination
After the rally, Rabin walked to the open door of his car, and three shots were fired towards Yitzhak Rabin, then Prime Minister of Israel, who did not wear a bulletproof vest.
The assassin Yigal Amir, a right-wing radical who had strenuously opposed Rabin's signing of the Oslo Accords, was caught and arrested immediately with his weapon, a Beretta 84F semi-automatic pistol in .380 ACP caliber (serial number D98231Y).. Amir also shot Yoram Rubin, a security guard, with a third bullet that missed the Israeli prime minister.
Rabin was rushed to the Ichilov Hospital, where he died from his wounds after 40 minutes. Rabin's bureau chief, Eitan Haber, announced outside the gates of the hospital: The government of Israel announces in amazement, in great sadness, and in deep sorrow, the death of prime minister and minister of defense Yitzhak Rabin, who was murdered by an assassin, tonight in Tel Aviv. May his memory be blessed.
Rabin was buried at the Mount Herzl cemetery for Israeli leaders, in Jerusalem. The funeral was attended by approximately 80 heads of state, among them the presidents of the United States, Egypt and the King of Jordan. The eulogies by Bill Clinton, with the Hebrew text "Shalom Chaver" (Peace/Goodbye friend), and the moving words by Rabin's granddaughter Noa Ben Artzi left a special impression.
The assassination led to the the resignation of Shabak chief Carmi Gillon, who was abroad when the murder took place. Later Gillon commented that: Unfortunately, the bodyguards didn't respond as they were taught to do. They failed by not shooting him on the spot like a dog, like any other despicable terrorist.
Reactions
The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin was a shock for most of the Israeli public, which held rallies and memorials near the place of the assassination, his home, the Knesset and the home of the assassin.
Most of the right wing condemned the assassination, despite the vast differences in political views and the widespread disagreement with Rabin's policies, which the right felt both emboldened Palestinian militants and gave them a territorial stronghold within Israel.
The funeral of Rabin was attended by many world leaders, among them U.S. president Bill Clinton, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and King Hussein of Jordan.
A national memorial day for Rabin is set on his death date, and the square in which he was assassinated was named after him, as well as many streets and public institutions.
Today, Rabin is remembered by most as Israel's great man of peace, despite his military career. After his untimely death, Rabin was turned into a national symbol, especially for the Israeli left. There is some disagreement on the relation between his untimely death and the ensuing halt to the peace process and rise of the Israeli Right.
Israeli and pre-state political assassinations
Yitzhak Rabin's assassination was not the first nor the last time that a Jewish leader had been shot in the midst of political controversies and upheavals during the history before and after the establishment of the State of Israel:
- Jacob Israël de Haan was assassinated by the Haganah on July 1, 1924 allegedly for his political stance, although there may have been additional factors stemming from strong feuds with others.
- Chaim Arlosoroff was shot while walking with his wife Sima on a beach in Tel Aviv in 1933. Some think that he was killed by other Zionists who disagreed with his views, others claim that it was Arabs or British or Nazis.
- Rudolf Kasztner was killed by an assassin March 15, 1957 in Tel Aviv. In the 1950s he was accused of profiting from his dealings with the Nazi occupation government in Hungary.
- Meir Kahane, leader of Israel's Kach party and former member of the Knesset, was assassinated by an Islamic terrorist during a visit to New York City on November 5, 1990.
- Rehavam Zeevi, an Israeli general who founded the right-wing nationalist Moledet party, was assassinated by agents of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on October 17, 2001 during the Al-Aqsa intifada.
In addition, MK sheikh Hamad Abu Rabia, a member of the Knesset from the original United Arab List was assassinated on December 1, 1981, by the sons of Druze-Israeli politician Jabr Moade, after Abu Rabia did not keep a rotation agreement with Moade. Moade replaced Abu Rabia in the Knesset.
Trivia
Some people disagree on the circumstances of Rabin's death as concluded by the court of justice, the judicial inquiry committee, Israeli government and the press, supporting various conspiracy theories instead.
See also
External links
- "Israel marks Rabin assassination", BBC, Nov 12, 2005
- "A sombre night in Rabin Square", BBC, Nov 12, 2005
- Could He Have Been Saved? An article by Ronen Bergman in Haaretz
- Assassination part of the Kempler video on CNN (10 seconds)
- Israel's Channel 2 broadcast of the Kempler video offered by a conspiracy theory promoting website (10 minutes)