Rivlin: Rabin was killed for Oslo
Rabin was murdered because of political views, but murder does not give them extra weight, Knesset Speaker Rivlin says in special Knesset session; earlier, world leaders honor slain PM at Jerusalem cemetery
(VIDEO) Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin chose to address a highly sensitive topic at a special Knesset session to honor the memory of Yitzhak Rabin, calling for separation between the slain prime minister’s commemoration and the Oslo accords, so those opposed to Rabin’s policies may still feel a part of the day's events.
“We have gathered here today not because of Rabin’s legacy, but because of the murder; because of shame the murderer cast on all of us; because of the feeling we could have prevented the murder and because we are not certain we can withstand another one,” Rivlin said in his speech.
Rabin memorial ceremony in Jerusalem (Video: Channel 10 News)
Still, the Knesset speaker made it clear Rabin was assassinated because of the political path he was pursuing.
“Rabin was murdered because of his political way. He was murdered because of Oslo,” Rivlin said. “We shouldn’t blur this or forget this, but at the same breath we must add this does not give extra weight to his political views, which many good people disagreed with and continue to disagree with to this day.”
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, meanwhile, said Israelis “must remember that terrible night” when Rabin was murdered.
“We must remember where hatred, and zealotry, and intolerance can lead to,” Sharon said. “The terrible murder of Yitzhak Rabin serves as a warning sign for all of us regarding what could happen if we choose that which separates us over what unites us.”
Rabin knew Israel was not premised on aggression, but rather on morality, Vice Premier Shimon Peres said during the session.
“Building power and using power are a pre-condition for defending Israel, but the country’s goal is to pursue peace and achieve peace,” he said. “Yitzhak viewed peace not as a political opportunity, but rather, the heritage of generations…which calls on us not to rule over another people.”
The special Knesset mourning session was also attended by foreign heads of state and foreign ministers.
World leaders honor Rabin
Earlier, state leaders, politicians, senior public officials and Rabin family members gathered at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem Monday to participate in a national memorial ceremony to commemorate 10 years since Rabin's murder.
U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Senator Hillary Clinton were among the international public figures on hand.
Rabin’s granddaughter Noa Ben-Artzi, who touched millions 10 years ago with her moving eulogy to her grandfather, also spoke Monday, and confessed that despite the great national sorrow over the assassination, Rabin’s family did not find its place within the extended family of the bereaved in Israel.
“We didn’t have a chair around the national mourning table, simply because nothing like this ever happened,” she said. “…We suddenly found ourselves detached.”
“Since that dark night in November, his missing presence screams out at me from everywhere,” she said. “It’s been 10 years in which he has become just street names, squares, a hospital, and schools. There’s just one thing he can no longer be – my grandfather.”
Sharon: I loved Yitzhak
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said during the ceremony, "We will make every effort to end the bloody strife with our neighbors, so we may safeguard Israel’s secure borders and a united Jerusalem."
“I loved Yitzhak even when we did not see eye to eye,” the prime minister said.
“The mutual friendship and appreciation between us was sustained even when we turned to opposite political paths. When I thought he was wrong, I did no spare him my criticism, and vice versa; but I never doubted Yitzhak’s integrity, decency and genuine intent to serve Israel loyally and courageously strive for peace and security.”
President Bill Clinton said during the ceremony that he remembers every event and every meeting with “that impressive man.”
“I had the honor of working with him on behalf of the American people,” he said.
Rabin's grandson Michael lit the remembrance torch marking the start to the ceremony, while Chief IDF Rabbi Yisrael Weiss recited the prayer for the souls of the dead. Rabin's son, Yuval, will recite Kaddish.
"The murder, an act of betrayal, occurred here in the backyard of our home," President Moshe Katsav said at the ceremony.
"A Jewish student murdered the prime minister…it is a fracture in the Jewish religion, the Jewish nation. It is a failure of the educational system and security establishment, a failure in instilling national and moral values, the moral values of the Torah," he said.
Jordan's King Abdullah was absent, as he was forced to cancel his trip to Israel following a terror attack in Amman last week.
Meanwhile, the Yitzhak Rabin Center for Israel Studies, located in Tel Aviv’s Ramat-Aviv neighborhood, was inaugurated Sunday evening. .
