Late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
Photo: Zoom 77
Olmert: Jerusalem not a compromise
Photo: Dudi Vaaknin
Netanyahu does not pardon murder
Photo: Amir Cohen
Peres: Killer shames us all
Photo: Dudi Vaknin
Olmert: Rabin wanted united Jerusalem
Ministers praise Rabin, condemn Yigal Amir in special Knesset memorial honoring murdered prime minister. Netanyahu: There is no pardon for this
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, speaking in a special Knesset memorial marking 11 years since PM Yitzhak Rabin's murder, addressed a recent survey that indicated that 30 percent of Israelis believe that Rabin's murderer Yigal Amir should be pardoned in 25 years.
Murderer’s Mother
Miri Chason
Yigal Amir's mother has no doubts about her son's innocence. 'Who said that Gali's bullets killed him?' She asks, calling prime minister's assassin by her pet name for him. '90 percent of Israelis want him pardoned she says
"This survey has no practical meaning: According to law, the murderer of a prime minister never goes free and we cannot pardon him. However, it has an educational meaning: This indicates an educational failure," he said.
According to Olmert, "this failure among the religious public is especially disturbing. Based on the poll, 14 percent of them want to grant an immediate pardon to the prime minister's killer, and another 50 percent advocate a pardon in the future."
Olmert also spoke of Rabin's stance against the division of Jerusalem. "For us, Jerusalem is not a compromise," he said.
In regards to the Palestinian issue, Olmert said "it's a shame that the Palestinians continue to ignore their reality to this day and that the PA government continues to fan the flame of terror despite the horrible price paid by the Palestinian leaders."
He quoted Rabin, and called all nations to beware of fundamentalist Islam, speaking of the recent war as a front of "the fight of enlightened nations against the darkness of Iran, which is trying to bring about the destruction of the western world."
"We vowed as a society not to forget or forgive or allow such a murder to take place again. This vow obligates us to act today to strengthen the Israeli democracy, both for our own sake and in memory of Rabin," he concluded.
Murder cannot be pardoned
Opposition leader, Benjamin Netanyahu said, during the ceremony, Rabin belonged to a breed of leaders who understand they are responsible for a country’s fate and are willing to lose popularity to stick to their way.He emphasized that "argument is the life's breath of democracy. It is permitted to argue and we must argue."
Nonetheless, he said, addressing the survey regarding a pardon for Yigal Amir: "There is no pardon for this. We must stand up to the challenge of a free society that gets its power from democratic decisions."
Vice Premier Shimon Peres said “Yitzhak’s light will never fade, and his legacy will continue to add life and hope for a better future.”
“The leader was murdered, while his killer lives a life that shames us all. The murderer, who broke the most important commandment,” Peres said.
