150,000 Israelis Gather to Mark 30th Anniversary of Rabin's Assassination

On the evening of the 1st, a large-scale gathering of Israeli citizens took place around Rabin Square in Tel Aviv to mark the 30th anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Some speakers called for using the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as an opportunity to achieve peace and warned against "incitement and extreme nationalism."

The Times of Israel reported that the phrase "Rabin was right" has been widely circulated amidst Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and severe domestic social divisions, evoking memories of Rabin's warning that peace and security cannot be achieved by force alone.

Speakers at the rally included former Israeli Prime Minister and leader of the opposition "Yesh Atid" party Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition Democratic Party Yair Golan, former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and released detainee Gadi Moshe.

Moshe called on all parties to renew efforts to achieve peace. "Death and bereavement are not a matter of fate. We can at least try to reach agreements with the Palestinians, with Syria, with Lebanon," he said. "We must do everything to ensure that our children and grandchildren will not experience war anymore."

Golan stated that "incitement and extreme nationalism" still exist in Israel today, and that "the echo of those three gunshots fired at Rabin's assassination has not faded to this day." He praised Rabin for "always placing the well-being of the people above political and personal interests" and for "knowing deeply that peace is not weakness, but strength."

Rabin served twice as Israel's Prime Minister and Chairman of the Labor Party during his lifetime. He was once an Israeli "hawk," a highly decorated general, who later reflected on "countering violence with violence." After becoming Prime Minister, he adhered to a "land for peace" policy and signed the Oslo Accords with then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 1993, aimed at achieving permanent peace between Israel and Palestine. On November 4, 1995, Rabin was shot by a far-right extremist after attending a peace rally in Tel Aviv and succumbed to his wounds. He was 73 years old.