BICOM

A special Knesset session was held yesterday to mark the 20th anniversary of the assassination of former-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, exposing divisions over Rabin’s legacy two decades later.

Rabin, who also served as Defence Minister and IDF Chief of Staff, was shot by a right-wing extremist at a peace rally in Tel Aviv in 1995. Rabin had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize having agreed the Oslo accords with the Palestinian leadership.

Speaking at yesterday’s Knesset session, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented that Rabin’s murder “joins a list of traumatic events in the history of our people.” He said that, “There is a profound reason why we didn’t achieve peace,” despite “the efforts of six prime ministers since the Oslo agreement.” Netanyahu explained “[The Palestinians] aren’t prepared to recognize once and for all the national state of the Jewish people, they are not truly prepared to end the conflict.” Netanyahu’s comments prompted Arab MKs to leave the plenum in protest.

Opposition leader and Zionist Union head Isaac Herzog took to the podium and took strong issue with Netanyahu’s comments. He said, “Ten years already Netanyahu has been prime minister. And you’re still blaming Rabin, who was murdered 20 years ago.” Herzog, whose party is the successor to the Labour Party which Rabin headed, said “There’s no Rabin, Mr. Prime Minister. Twenty years already. And soon enough it’ll be 10 years that you’ve been in charge … Just you are responsible.”

Earlier in the day, at an official state ceremony at Rabin’s graveside in Jerusalem, Rabin’s daughter, Dalia Rabin said, “I thought that the darkness that descended on our family would lead to unity and understanding … but I was naïve.” She lamented that “Blood is again being spilled and animosity is growing.”

On Saturday night, a week of events marking the anniversary of Rabin’s death will culminate in a mass rally in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, where the assassination took place. Former-US President Bill Clinton will be among the speakers.