The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and Other Political Assassinations in Israel

On the evening of November 4, 1995, following a speech at a rally in Tel Aviv's Kings of Israel Square, shots were fired at Yitzhak Rabin, the serving Prime Minister of the State of Israel. He succumbed to his wounds 40 minutes later at the Ichilov Hospital.

By decision of the Government and Parliament of the State of Israel, the 12th day of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan has been established as Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Day.

This article aims to provide leaders of Jewish organizations and diaspora communities with a factual overview of the history of political assassinations. We consider such fundamental knowledge crucial for understanding the nature of the Israeli public debate that intensifies in the media around this memorial date. The annual demonstrations, conferences, and extensive commentary on the nature of true democracy in the Jewish State raise challenging questions that undoubtedly resonate within Jewish communities beyond Israel: Should a modern democratic system be evaluated by its ability to forge a foundation of shared values and moral principles accepted by all social groups, despite their differing convictions? Might public perception of an assassin change in the future? Do the concepts of civic and religious duty have limits, and how are they defined within a democratic state?

The assassin, Yigal Amir, a religious law student at Bar-Ilan University, justified his crime by claiming he was "defending the people of Israel." This shattered yet another myth: "The assassination of Rabin was a moment of sobering disillusionment for Israeli society. Prior to the assassination, we lived in a fool's paradise. We held the naive belief that such an event could not happen here, and although violence, extremism, and fanaticism exist in our society, democratic principles were deeply engraved in the heart of Israeli society, making political assassination impossible. Most importantly, we believed a Jew would never commit such an act," remarked Ehud Olmert, the 12th Prime Minister of Israel, during a Knesset session marking the 12th anniversary of Rabin's death.

For 25 years, controversy has persisted surrounding the events of Rabin's assassination. In June 2015, Minister of Culture Miri Regev banned state funding for a Jerusalem festival if it screened the documentary "Beyond the Fear" by Herz Frank, one of the most prominent Soviet documentarians and founder of the "poetic documentary cinema" school. Frank spent nearly a decade working on this film, which explores the relationship between Larisa Trembovler, a Doctor of Philosophy, and Yigal Amir, the assassin of the Israeli Prime Minister. Larisa met Amir while he was serving his life sentence, having secured visitation rights as a human rights advocate through legal channels. A romance ensued; Larisa divorced her husband, left her four children, married Amir, and subsequently gave birth to a son. These events were widely covered by the media, triggering legal disputes and intense public debate.

Yitzhak Rabin's assassin confessed immediately and has expressed no remorse. Within Israeli society, some believe he is not the actual killer; others argue that his action halted the development of the "Oslo Accords," which had initiated negotiations with the Palestinian leadership, and that Amir's radical act prevented the surrender of territories to the enemy. Furthermore, certain radical circles remain convinced that Amir acted out of genuine conviction and personal religious adherence, and should therefore be viewed as an honorable man.

The film raises difficult questions: Could someone whom the majority of Israelis and the courts deemed a criminal become a national hero in a few years? This is particularly poignant given that both Jewish history and the history of other nations offer precedents where assassins were eventually elevated to national heroes.

How should a democratic Jewish state conduct itself toward criminals who reject the core tenets of democracy, and what rights should be granted to such offenders (for instance, should Amir have the right to marry and father children)? Should society strive to understand and forgive every criminal? How should society view Larisa, who made deliberate choices that significantly complicated the lives of her children from her first marriage, and who would unlikely have noticed Yigal had he not been the Prime Minister's assassin? (While the nature of love is beyond our scope, it remains a central theme here.)

The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin was not, however, the first political murder in the modern history of the Jewish people.

In 1933, Haim Arlosoroff, a native of Ukraine who served as Head of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency, was assassinated in Tel Aviv. The political debate at the time centered on the "Haavara (Transfer) Agreement"—a project that divided opinions within the Yishuv. The leaders of the Jewish Agency, led by David Ben-Gurion, sought to facilitate the emigration of Jews from Germany following the Nazi rise to power, allowing them to salvage a portion of their assets and thereby encouraging Jewish immigration to Palestine. The arrangement allowed German Jews to deposit their capital into a special fund used to purchase German goods for export to Palestine. The proceeds from their sale were then distributed to the immigrants upon arrival. Through this scheme, approximately 20,000 German Jews emigrated, and about $30 million was transferred to Palestine. Haim Arlosoroff was one of the primary architects and directors of this project, leveraging his connections in Germany to establish the process. Some historians suggest that Goebbels' wife assisted in securing the agreement.

Critics of the Agreement argued that any form of contact with the Nazis was unacceptable and called instead for an economic boycott of Germany. Revisionist newspapers and public figures severely criticized the Agreement, condemning it as criminal. Following Arlosoroff's fatal shooting, three revisionists (members of the political opposition to the Yishuv leadership) were accused of the murder. One suspect, allegedly identified by Arlosoroff's widow, was sentenced to death. Ze'ev Jabotinsky, leader of the Revisionist movement, closely defended the suspects. Ultimately, the British High Court of Appeal in Palestine overturned all convictions, leaving the case unresolved. To this day, the question of who actually assassinated Arlosoroff remains unanswered, surrounded by numerous theories.

Another significant event occurred after the declaration of the State of Israel's independence.

On March 4, 1957, Rudolf Kastner was assassinated in Tel Aviv. During the war, Kastner had led a Jewish rescue committee that negotiated an official deal with the Nazis in 1944. In exchange for certain goods needed by Germany, a train carrying Hungarian Jews was permitted to leave for safety, sparing them from deportation to the Auschwitz death camp. Under this agreement, nearly 1,700 individuals escaped Hungary, including several prominent rabbis, orphans, and members of Kastner's own family.

In 1953, Kastner—who had immigrated to Israel after the war and held a senior position in the Ministry of Industry—faced public accusations of criminal collaboration with the Nazis. Critics claimed his deal led to the deaths of half a million Hungarian Jews because, in saving his family and those who could pay, he failed to warn the wider community of the Nazi plan for their extermination.

To clear his name, Kastner initiated a libel lawsuit against Malkiel Gruenwald, a fellow Hungarian Holocaust survivor who had lost his entire family. The district court ruled in Gruenwald's favor, effectively condemning Kastner. Although the Supreme Court eventually overturned the ruling and cleared Kastner's name, he was shot and killed by Ze'ev Eckstein, a former agent of the Israel Security Agency (Shabak).

Evidently, there are no simple answers to the complex questions surrounding opposition to policies pursued by political leaders on highly sensitive contemporary issues. However, the path of violence leads to devastating consequences—a truth one trusts is recognized within Israeli society.

Dr. Haim Ben Yakov

This square is now named after Yitzhak Rabin.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's address to the Knesset on the 12th anniversary of Rabin's assassination, October 24, 2007.

The Jewish Agency performed governmental functions, and its political department operated as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Tom Segev, The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust (New York: Henry Holt, 1991), p. 21.

H. Arlosoroff studied in Germany during the 1920s and was romantically involved with Magda Ritschel, the future wife of Dr. Joseph Goebbels.

Colin Shindler, Zionist History’s Murder Mystery (June 16, 2013), Jewish Chronicle Online.