On Sunday, October 25, 2015 (12 Heshvan on the Jewish calendar), Israel marks the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995.A special plenary session of the Knesset marking the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin will be held on October 26 in the presence of President Reuven Rivlin and members of Rabin's family.
In memroy of Yitzhak Rabin
Dear friends,
On an evening like tonight, 20 years ago in the main square of Tel Aviv a heinous crime was perpetrated. It took the life of a Prime Minister and thus tried to vanquish the ballot Box through lethal bullets. The crime was of a double head- murder of a person and an attempted murder of our democracy.
However divided we may be on the issues that make up our agenda as a nation, I believe that most Israelis today understand that whatever the issues- Democracy is the only framework in which we should administer our differences. Thus it should come as no surprise to anyone that the day that Rabin died became a national memorial day.
Prime Minister Rabin will forever be remembered as the leader who managed to overcome his own personal history and mistrust in order to seek a new reality for the people of Israel. He had no illusions about his counterparts, but he was determined to try and bring a monumental change to the Middle East. Today, 20 years later, the task of promoting peace between Israelis and Palestinians is not yet complete. We believe that on this day, we should reaffirm our commitment to the goal of building a new reality in our region- reality of peace and tranquility. Yitzhak Rabin led the way and his memory will surely guide us as we search to bring the State of Israel to the coast of Peace and Security.
Thank you very much.
Ambassador Yosef Livne
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President Reuven Rivlin: "For me Rabin’s legacy is one of leadership, transformative leadership, of standing bravely in the face of difficult decisions. On the side of his commitment to peace, Rabin, did not wait idly for the Israel 'after peace'. He did not wait for a peace that would solve all problems once and for all. Instead, he was brave enough to tackle Israel's problems in the here and now." |
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Tel Aviv Peace Rally, Nov 4, 1995
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A letter to Leah Rabin
Bat-Chen Shahak was 13 years old when she wrote the following poem, shortly after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. She was killed in a terrorist bombing at Dizengoff Center in Tel-Aviv on March 4, 1996. It was read at special memorial service held in Oslo in November 1999.
Three shots and it's all over - Now one talks about him in the past tense. Suddenly the present becomes the past. And the past is only a memory. We are standing, crying. We want to believe it never happened, That it is all a nightmare. And when we wake up the next morning - it will not be so. Instead, we wake up to a warped reality, Where pain is laced with hate. We cannot digest the enormity of this loss, And we cannot comprehend its severity...
Yitzhak Rabin's widow, Leah, died on November 12, 2000. Former PM Ehud Barak: "After his assassination, she carried the torch in the battle for peace."
Key Speeches by Yitzhak Rabin
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YITZHAK RABIN FUNERAL (November 6, 1995) |
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COMMISSION OF INQUIRY |
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