Israel Marks Rabin Assassination Anniversary Amidst Calls for Killer's Release

Israel is commemorating the 31st anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was shot and killed on November 4, 1995, in Tel Aviv by extremist Yigal Amir. Amir opposed the Oslo Accords. Commemorations began at the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv with a ceremony involving youth and family representatives. Additional official tributes are being held in Jerusalem, including at the presidential residence and Mount Herzl. The day of remembrance, observed according to the Hebrew calendar, falls just five days before Israeli legislative elections.

In this context, President Isaac Herzog issued a warning against the normalization of political violence. Speaking in Jerusalem, Herzog specifically condemned a poster seen on the highway connecting Tel Aviv to the capital, which called for Yigal Amir's release. The President expressed outrage that such a demand could appear in public without immediate condemnation. He reiterated that Rabin's assassin must remain imprisoned for life, without any possibility of parole or sentence reduction.

Herzog also denounced the death threats that continue to target Israeli political figures, particularly on social media. Thirty-one years after the event that profoundly impacted Israel, his message is clear: political disagreements must never be resolved through violence. With the elections approaching, this commemoration serves as a reminder that Rabin's assassination remains a deep wound in the history of Israeli democracy.