BICOM

Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to mark the nineteenth anniversary of the assassination of former-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

The event, titled “Returning to the square, restoring hope,” was held at the same location at which Rabin was killed by a right-wing extremist at a peace rally in November 1995. Haaretz reported that at least 15,000 people attended the rally, although organisers claimed a higher figure and said many were deterred by rainy weather. Among those attending was President Reuven Rivlin.

Heading the list of speakers at the rally was former-President Shimon Peres, Rabin’s partner in agreeing the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians during the 1990s. Peres said, “Israel will not have lasting security without peace. Israel will not have a stable economy without peace. Israel will not have a healthy society without peace.” He warned that “As long as there is no horizon for a diplomatic solution, we will continue to live from war to war.” Peres termed “those who have given up on peace” as “delusional.”

Also over the weekend, more than 100 former-IDF generals and senior security officials signed a petition urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to embark on peace talks with the Palestinians. The petition was published as an advert in several daily Israeli newspapers. The signatories include former members of the IDF General Staff, two former chiefs of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency Mossad and retired senior police officials.

The petition calls on Netanyahu “not to join the ranks of those who use threats as an excuse for resting on our laurels, and to initiate a political process.” The letter explains, “We fought bravely for the country in the hope that our children would live here in peace,” but that, “here we are, again sending our children out onto the battlefield.” Addressing Netanyahu, the signatories pledged, “We expect a show of courageous initiative and leadership from you. Lead – and we will stand behind you.”