20 years after the killing of the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin

Il 4 novembre 1995 un estremista ebreo uccideva il premier israeliano Rabin, “colpevole” di aver posto le basi per un accordo di pace con i palestinesi.

On the night of 4 November 1995 the history of the Middle East – and that of the entire world – has changed. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, promoter (together with Yasser Arafat) of the Oslo Accords, which introduced a peace process between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), was killed. Yigal Amir, Jewish ultranationalist against the end of the conflicts with Arabs, shot him.

Today, 20 years after the killing, the peoples of the two countries still suffer the consequences of that brutal action. On Saturday 31 October, thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv, in the square bearing the name of the Israeli leader. They gathered to commemorate his death, but also to cry out for hope: “Today, more than ever before, we feel Rabin so far away. But it is encouraging to see so many people taking to the street,” told a demonstrator to the news agency AFP.

 

It’s been months since the leaders of the two parties have had contact. And the question that many seem to ask is: “What would Israel and Palestine be like if Rabin hadn’t been killed?” Ouri Savir, the then chief negotiator of the Oslo Accords said to the French news agency: “With only one more term of office, maybe we could have managed to sign a permanent agreement with Palestinians. And maybe a lasting peace with Syria”. Contrarily, following the murder, the left-wing party lost the elections, and Benjamin Netanyahu – current Prime Minister – took the power, “intently destroying Rabin’s work,” added Savir.

 

Ceremony Commemorates The 20th Anniversary Since The Assassination Of Yitzhak Rabin
Thousands of people took part to the commemoration of the Israeli Prime Minister Rabin ©Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images

 

Dalia, former deputy and daughter of Rabin, attended the demonstration. On the stage, she hugged Bill Clinton, ex-president of the US, who was committed to reaching an agreement between Israel and the PLO. Clinton called on the Jewish people: “His legacy is clear and untouchable. He gave his life so that you could live in peace. The last chapter must be written by the people he gave his life to save and to nourish. He defended the country, but more importantly for tonight, he advanced the values fundamental to Israel and stood for freedom, peace, acceptance of those who are different from us”.

 

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