By Maya Koren
Community Shlicah
 

“The government of Israel announces in consternation, 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. The government shall convene in one hour for a morning session in Tel Aviv. Blessed be his memory”.

 

1993, Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat were trying to start a peace process and put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to its end with the Oslo-Accords.

Twenty years ago, Nov. 4, 1995.  An open rally gathered in the middle of Tel-Aviv, for the people who supported the peace process. The rally was led by  Prime Minister Rabin and his colleagues to the labor party.

Rabin  tried to make peace with the Palestinians but there were many people who disagreed with the process and its outcomes. They didn't believe in the Palestinians' honesty.

One person took it too far. His name was Yigal Amir.

Yitzhak Rabin was shot in the back as he left the stage of the peace rally, which was attended by about 100,000 people.

Yigal Amir, was a law student and a fanatical orthodox Jew. Amir did it in response to the 1993 Oslo-Accords, all because he disagreed with him, and all because of Rabin’s actions.

Yitzhak Rabin was a soldier for 27 years. He had fought for his country and tried to bring it into peaceful times. He was a war hero.

Yitzhak Rabin died because of his dreams and we all should remember that. In Israel that day is a crisis point and we should always remember that a democracy is not obvious, especially not in the middle east.

Click the links below for more info:

The Last Speech of Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin

An Article from the BBC