Inquiry still needed

Question marks surrounding Rabin killing must be put to rest once and for all

Reuters | Published: 11.01.09, 19:04

The tranquil town of Oberammagergau, which does not merit any special attention, is located in southern Germany. Once a decade – the next time will be in 2010 – the sleepy town comes to life on the occasion of the Passion Festival (Passio means suffering in Latin) that presents Jesus’ anguish in his last days ahead of his crucifixion.

The town is flooded by tourists who watch the anti-Semitic play, (how could it be otherwise?) which presents yet again the part of the Jews in the act, while they purchasing wood-carved souvenirs that illustrate the Jews’ crime.

This has been the case since 1634, when town residents vowed to honor the Savior and his suffering each decade should they survive the plague that threatened them. Ever since that time, the festival and its by-products have served to create a sense of togetherness and help residents make a living.

The State of Israel experienced harsh traumas in 1993 and in 1995: The Oslo Accord and the Rabin assassination, respectively. We are referring to two monumental events that pertain to the national rift that has hurt and will hurt Israel over the years. The former created a sense of hope for many and a source of fears that were proven correct for many others. The latter constituted a blow to the entire public, yet only part of it is allowed to mourn. The other sector has been alienated and marginalized since the murder, while being accused as being a party to the crime.

The days between the national day of commemoration, marked according to the Jewish calendar, and the memorial day based on the Christian calendar (November 4th) are used to commemorate the man and his deeds, yet regrettably also prompt incitement against a large sector that is also mourning and shocked, but is prevented from taking part in events that bind the man’s memory to the “peace” he was dragged into and dragged all of us into.

While the official commemoration events justly take place in the capital, Jerusalem, on the official memorial day, this period also includes an annual leftist rally at Tel Aviv’s main square – this event is presented as an official rally, and recently the president has been taking part in it, an improper act as we are dealing with a political-sectarian protest.

End conspiracy of silence

As in recent years we have seen in Israel acts of auto-anti-Semitism comprised of Jew hatred accompanied with blaming them for all troubles, it is easy not to recall the hatred for Jews present throughout history and the charges leveled at them in respect to Jesus’ death. Just like we expect the Christians to cease their collective charges against the whole public, we should expect the same of the Jews.

The most tried and tested means for this is disclosure of the whole truth surrounding the circumstances of the murder. A poll presented on Israel Radio years ago showed that about 30% of the Jewish public doubts the official version of the assassination. Ever since then, the question marks and doubts had grown. The time has come for another official commission of inquiry that will be presented with all the documents and testimonials, in the aims of verifying or disproving the information that has accumulated.

For example, the motive for the murder should be looked into (the assassination did not put an end to the Oslo process, but rather, prompted its reinforcement during Peres’ tenure as prime minister in the wake of the murder.) In addition, the photographs of Rabin’s clothes need to be published to answer once and for all the question of where he was shot from (the back or the front.)

There is a need to compare the time of Yigal Amir’s arrest to the time of Rabin’s arrival at the hospital and look into what happened in the long minutes it took him to arrive at Ichilov. We also need to know which vehicle brought him there and who was there with him.

We need to ask why the post-mortem was performed at Ichilov and not at the Abu-Kabir forensic institution, as is customary; in addition, a comparison is called for between the various medical documents created in Ichilov that night. Chief Coroner Yehuda Hiss also needs to publically present everything he knows.

Only by breaking this conspiracy of silence and perhaps of silencing too, we can prompt the beginning of a process of healing the dangerous national rift. Evading this will merely perpetuate it and its negative implications on our lives. We should hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu will not shy away from establishing an official commission of inquiry that would expose the painful truth.

Dr. Ron Breiman is a former chairman of Professors for a Strong Israel (2001-2005).