(Israel, 2nd) On the night of the 1st, Israeli citizens held a massive gathering at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv to commemorate the 30th anniversary of former Prime Minister Rabin's assassination. Some speakers called for using the ceasefire in Gaza as an opportunity to achieve peace and warned against “incitement and extreme nationalism.”
A large number of participants waved Israeli flags and held signs such as “Rabin was right,” filling Rabin Square and surrounding streets to capacity. Banners at the scene read “Say Yes to Peace, No to Violence.” According to the event organizers, about 150,000 people attended the rally.
The Times of Israel reported that the phrase “Rabin was right” has become widely circulated in Israel against the backdrop of military actions in Gaza and severe division within Israeli society, reminding people of Rabin's warning that peace and security cannot be achieved by force alone.
Israel’s former Prime Minister and leader of the opposition party “Yesh Atid” Yair Lapid, Democratic Party opposition leader Gonen Ben-Itzhak, former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and freed hostage Moses all delivered speeches at the gathering.
Moses called on all parties to renew efforts to achieve peace.
He said, “Death and the pain of bereavement are not fated to happen. At the very least, we can try to reach agreements with the Palestinians, with Syria, with Lebanon. We must do everything in our power to ensure that our children and grandchildren do not have to suffer through war again.”
Gonen Ben-Itzhak stated that “incitement and extreme nationalism” still exist in Israel today, and that “the echo of those three shots at the time of Rabin’s assassination has yet to fade.”
He praised Rabin for “always placing the people’s welfare above political and personal interests,” and said Rabin “deeply understood that peace is not weakness but strength.”
During his lifetime, Rabin twice served as Israel’s Prime Minister and chairman of the Labor Party. He was once a “hawk” and a highly decorated general. Later, he reflected on “violence begetting violence.” After becoming Prime Minister, he insisted on the “land for peace” policy, and in 1993 signed the Oslo Accords with then-Palestinian leader Arafat aimed at permanent peace between Israelis and Palestinians. On November 4, 1995, Rabin was fatally shot by an extreme right-wing extremist after attending a peace rally in Tel Aviv. He was 73.