Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., October 26, 2007 Cheshvan 14, 5768 | | Israel Time: 10:57 (EST+7)
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Peres attends a memorial service marking the 12th anniversary of Rabin's assassination on Tuesday night. (Reuters)
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Barak: Some politicians tainted by pre-Rabin killing incitement
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service

Some of Israel's public office holders today are tainted by their part in the incitement that led up to the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio late Tuesday.

During the period leading up to Rabin's killing, members of the right-wing - including currently active politicians - campaigned against the former prime minister over his support for the Oslo peace process. The preceding atmosphere of incitement against Rabin, with posters depicting him as a Nazi distributed by extreme rightists in some instances, is often blamed for encouraging the assassination.

Barak made his comments on the annual day of commemoration for Rabin according to the Hebrew calendar, which began Tuesday evening with the lighting of a memorial candle at the official residence of President Shimon Peres.
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The defense minister also said that Yigal Amir, Rabin's jailed assassin, would not be released or pardoned. He was responding to a recent media campaign by extreme rightists calling for the killer's release.

Barak said in the radio interview that the murderer himself is not important, and hoped that people would focus on the real lessons of the assassination, which he listed as a need for patience, education to instill responsibility, and for brotherly love rather than baseless hatred.

Peres, who was with Rabin on the night of his assassination at the end of a Tel Aviv peace rally on November 4, 1995, said during the ceremony at his official residence: "I remember that night. It started like an invigorating beam of sunshine, when enthusiastic masses filled Kikar Malchei Yisrael [later renamed Rabin Square]. The podium on which we stood was washed by a poignant wave of hope, coming from the restless crowd.

"I stood by Yitzhak's side; his face was glowing at this demonstration of touching, beautifully spontaneous support. At the same time, the vile, ruthless enemy was waiting, cold-hearted, down the stairs, holding a loaded gun in his hand. He shot Yitzhak's back, and injured our nation's heart. Neither our nation nor history could ever forgive this scoundrel."

Peres, who was the deputy premier and foreign minister at the time, also said: "I was left by myself facing a troubled reality, a society in agony and the urgent need to come to our senses and move on. Even with the absence of our senior partner, our country should remain steadfast. We should cherish Yitzhak's way and never lose it. This was his last will and testament."

"Today," the president added, "twelve years on, the path he paved for us re-emerges. The path of peace has not been lost."

Rabin's sister, Rachel Ya'akov, also spoke at the ceremony. "Another year has gone by, and the pain has not gone away. The longings have not waned, and what has been going on recently does not improve things," she said.

Also on Tuesday, Israeli media quoted Rabin's daughter Dalia as having said that the death penalty should have been applied in the case of Yigal Amir.

On Monday, police gave Dalia Rabin a video cassette of Amir's initial interrogation shortly after the killing. "I decided to kill him, to neutralize him politically," Amir said on the tape. When asked if he regretted his actions, Amir is recorded as having said, "Heaving forbid. I don't regret it."

Amir's wife, Larisa Trembovler, urged Attorney General Menachem Mazuz Tuesday to open an investigation against Police Commissioner David Cohen, whom she accuses of leaking the cassette to the media. "The criminal law code prohibits the disclosure of tapes of police interrogations, and he should be brought to justice," she said.

Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter compared Amir Tuesday to a "mummy sitting in prison," adding that "Amir is neither worthy enough nor important enough" to become the focus of a debate over the death penalty in Israel.

The ultra-nationalist Amir is serving life imprisonment for the killing. The death penalty in Israel has only been used once, against Nazi Holocaust mastermind Adolf Eichmann.

Amir, who was standing near Rabin's car after the peace rally that night, explains that he decided not to shoot then-foreign minister Peres, who came down the steps at Kikar Malchei Yisrael a few minutes before Rabin, because he was merely a "secondary target."

"Afterward Rabin came down accompanied by security men. I approached him before he entered his car, fired three bullets at him and then the security men jumped on me and I threw down the gun," Amir told the police during questioning.
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  1.   Why Was Carmi Gillon Promoted By Peres? 07:34  |  Ben Israel 24/10/07
  2.   What Was Leah Rabin Told? 07:36  |  Ben Israel 24/10/07
  3.   spurious incitement againt the right 07:51  |  sallyz 24/10/07
  4.   Barak starts his campaign! 08:29  |  Jewish State 24/10/07
  5.   PERES WATCHED CAR DOOR CLOSE BY "ITSELF" ON RABIN & SMILED 08:48  |  Amir chiloni 24/10/07
  6.   This man in the picture has blood on his hands!! 08:50  |  Alon 24/10/07
  7.   Rabin 09:07  |  jerry 24/10/07
  8.   Here`s a beautiful example of the pot calling the kettle black! 09:09  |  sallyz 24/10/07
  9.   Like the Holy Inquisition attacking those "against the True Faith 09:11  |  Absolute Sweden 24/10/07
  10.   Why? Why? Why? 09:37  |  Ben Israel 24/10/07
  11.   That was my personal wake-up call 09:41  |  Swiss (Dino) 24/10/07
  12.   Barak is afriad of Bibi .. so he must smear 09:50  |  Kobi 24/10/07
  13.   BARAK=ABANDON SOLDIERS IN THE FIELD 09:59  |  WARRIOR 24/10/07
  14.   Yitzhak Rabin 10:02  |  iletzter 24/10/07
  15.   Only worth contempt 10:37  |  Ilan 24/10/07
  16.   rabin 10:39  |  fatima 24/10/07
  17.   IN SHORT ! ISRAEL RAPED A GOOD CHANCE 10:40  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/10/07
  18.   Bibi never said that Rabin murdered brother Yoni sent to Entebbe 10:43  |  Genuine Tosefta 24/10/07
  19.   JESUS, RABIN, ETC 10:51  |  indrajaya 24/10/07
  20.   In full sympathy with Dalia Rabin. 11:05  |  Esther 24/10/07
  21.   Some politicians tainted by post-Rabin killing incitement 11:18  |  Joseph E . 24/10/07
  22.   # 5 Indrijaya, You must admit that those groups among jewish 11:39  |  Haham me Bat yam 24/10/07
  23.   # 5 indrajaya @ jakarta 11:56  |  Joseph E . 24/10/07
  24.   More BS from Barak - An advocate of Oslo & Itnatkut 12:36  |  Casual Observer 24/10/07
  25.   Jerry - Amen to that!! 12:52  |  Stephen Connor 24/10/07
  26.   Opposite True 12:56  |  dave 24/10/07
  27.   Joseph E. - Purveyor of false narratives 13:13  |  Stephen Connor 24/10/07
  28.   Leaders Must Know They Are Not Immune 13:20  |  Efox 24/10/07
  29.   Killers among us 13:20  |  Stephen Connor 24/10/07
  30.   to #19 indrajaya 13:23  |  Kobi 24/10/07
  31.   to #25 - Stephen 13:32  |  Kobi 24/10/07
  32.   # 28 Efox Wow !!! 13:35  |  Swiss (Dino) 24/10/07
  33.   # 30, KOBI 13:42  |  indrajaya 24/10/07
  34.   #12, Kobi, it`s no smear to accuse Bibi of inciting Rabin murder 14:21  |  newageblues 24/10/07
  35.   Kobi - Common Ground 14:51  |  Stephen Connor 24/10/07
  36.   Why is Rabin`s blood more red than other Jewish blood? 14:58  |  Steven 24/10/07
  37.   They are blanks!!!!!!! 15:13  |  Herbert Kaine 24/10/07
  38.   #36, Steven, because he was Israel`s democratically elected PM 15:50  |  newageblues 24/10/07
  39.   rabin invi8ted assasination by fenagling the vote on oslo! 16:36  |  victor hardman 24/10/07
  40.   Did or did not the Jews kill Jesus??!! 17:27  |  Bjorn 24/10/07
  41.   # 27 Stephen Connor @ AnnArbor / Michigan 17:40  |  Joseph E . 24/10/07
  42.   Rabin`s blood is no more precious than blood of thousands of Oslo 18:37  |  Chaim 24/10/07
  43.   Every time that a political arabised lefitst visit Abbas 18:37  |  Joseph E . 24/10/07
  44.   newageblues sorry you are wrong 18:40  |  Steven 24/10/07
  45.   Bjorn Jesus killing 18:46  |  Steven 24/10/07
  46.   #44, Steven, your views on democracy are clear 18:55  |  newageblues 24/10/07
  47.   newageblues 46 19:03  |  Steven 24/10/07
  48.   Joseph E. 20:13  |  Stephen Connor 24/10/07
  49.   Joseph E. - Arabised leftists???? 20:21  |  Stephen Connor 24/10/07
  50.   Steven`s Bold Assertions 20:33  |  Stephen Connor 24/10/07
  51.   Stephen Connor you ignorance is great 20:42  |  Steven 24/10/07
  52.   How True 20:49  |  Danite 24/10/07
  53.   #47, Steven, I call Rabin a brave man who got tired 20:56  |  newageblues 24/10/07
  54.   Responsibility 01:42  |  Sammy 25/10/07
  55.   Barak : Some politicians tainted by pre Rabin killing incitement 02:28  |  Peter 25/10/07
  56.   The Continuing Disgrace of Israeli Politics 03:02  |  Yoram 25/10/07
  57.   Post OSLO Robbed Jews were not "incited" but Outraged! 10:07  |  Mark Hamil 25/10/07
  58.   #45 Steven:"why not the Romans"? 14:42  |  Alicia 25/10/07
  59.   #50 Stephen Connor: "numbers" you ask for 15:30  |  Alicia 25/10/07
  60.   to #34 - newage 18:00  |  Kobi 25/10/07
  61.   to #34 - newage Blues 18:02  |  Kobi 25/10/07
  62.   #35 Stephen 18:06  |  Kobi 25/10/07
  63.   Res #36 Stephen 18:09  |  Kobi 25/10/07
  64.   #40 Bjorn 18:12  |  Kobi 25/10/07
  65.   to #46 attacking #44 18:15  |  Kobi 25/10/07
  66.   #48 - Joe E. - Israel is a JEWISH nation 18:25  |  Kobi 25/10/07
  67.   #55 - Peter 18:31  |  Kobi 25/10/07
  68.   to Alicia.. NT ... yeah right 18:35  |  Kobi 25/10/07
  69.   RE #40, 58 Rome and Matthew 27:25 18:52  |  DJStahl 25/10/07
  70.   #68 KOBI 19:55  |  Alicia 25/10/07
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