Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

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Site of the rally before the assassination: Rabin Square and Tel Aviv City Hall during the day.

The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin took place on November 4, 1995 at 21:30, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo agreements at the Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv.

1 The assassination
2 Reactions
3 Trivia
4 Further reading
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] The assassination

After the rally, Rabin walked to the open door of his car, and three shots were fired towards the prime minister, who did not wear a bulletproof vest.

The assassin Yigal Amir, a right-wing radical who had strenuously opposed Rabin's signing of the Oslo Accords, was caught and arrested immediately with his weapon, a Beretta 84F semi-automatic pistol in .380 ACP caliber (serial number D98231Y). [1] Amir also shot Yoram Rubin, a security guard, with a third bullet that missed the Israeli prime minister.

Rabin was rushed to the Ichilov Hospital, where he died from his wounds after 40 minutes. Rabin's bureau chief, Eitan Haber, announced outside the gates of the hospital: The government of Israel announces in dismay, 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. May his memory be blessed.

In Rabin's pocket was a blood-stained sheet of paper with the words to Shir Lashalom ("Song to Peace"), which ironically dwells on the impossibility of bringing a dead person back to life and therefore the need for peace.

Rabin was buried at the Mount Herzl cemetery for Israeli leaders, in Jerusalem. The funeral was attended by approximately 80 heads of state, among them the presidents of the United States, Egypt and the King of Jordan. [2]

The assassination led to the resignation of Shabak (also known as Shin Bet) chief Carmi Gillon, who was abroad when the murder took place. Later Gillon commented that: Unfortunately, the bodyguards didn't respond as they were taught to do. They failed by not shooting him on the spot like a dog, like any other despicable terrorist. [3]

The monument at the site of the assassination: Ibn Gevirol Street between the Tel Aviv City Hall and Gan Ha'ir (in the back). The monument is composed of broken rocks, which represent the political earthquake that the assassination represents

[edit] Reactions

The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin was a shock for most of the Israeli public, which held rallies and memorials near the place of the assassination, his home, the Knesset and the home of the assassin.

The funeral of Rabin was attended by many world leaders, among them U.S. president Bill Clinton, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and King Hussein of Jordan.

A national memorial day for Rabin is set on his death date, and the square in which he was assassinated was named after him, as well as many streets and public institutions.

Today, Rabin is remembered by some amongst the Left in Israel as a man of peace, despite his military career. After his untimely death, Rabin was turned into a national symbol, especially for the Israeli left. There is some disagreement on the relation between his untimely death and the ensuing halt to the Oslo peace process and rise of the Israeli Right which won the ensuing elections.

As with political assassinations around the world, small groups of people disregard the conclusions regarding Rabin's death of the Israeli courts system, inquiry committee, the Israeli government, and the major Israeli newspapers, supporting various conspiracy theories instead.