BICOM

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin yesterday hosted the first event in a week-long commemoration to mark the 20th anniversary of the assassination of former-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

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.

At yesterday’s event at the President’s residence, Rivlin pledged to never commute the sentence of Rabin’s assassin Yigal Amir. Rivlin said, “As long as I am President of Israel, his [Rabin’s] murderer will not be freed. Curse my hand if it should ever sign a pardon for that evil man.” Rivlin asked, “Are we doing enough to instil, again and again, awareness of the destructive potential of political violence?” Former-President Shimon Peres, who served as Rabin’s foreign minister also spoke. Peres was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize with Rabin and was at his side the night of the murder. He said “They killed you [Rabin], beloved and loyal leader, but your way remains alive and beating.”

Meanwhile, Education Minister Naftali Bennett attended a memorial ceremony organised yesterday by the national youth groups at the Yitzhak Rabin Centre in Tel Aviv. Today, an official state ceremony will be held at Rabin’s graveside at the Mount Herzl Cemetery in Jerusalem, which will be attended by President Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Knesset will then convene for a special session to mark the anniversary.

Throughout the week, 30 special memorial tents will be erected by youth movements, hosting displays on incitement, violence and democracy. Israeli schools will host ceremonies and talk about the impact of the murder and its lessons.

On Saturday night, the week-long events 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.