Rabin Killed at Tel Aviv Rally
Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin died 31 years ago today after being shot by Yigal Amir during a peace celebration.
By Amina Howard ·
It has been 31 years since former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed in Tel Aviv. The assassination occurred on November 4, 1995, during a large public gathering.
Yigal Amir, a far-right Jewish activist, shot Rabin in the back. The attack took place in Kings of Israel Square, which is now called Rabin Square. More than 100,000 people attended the event, which was held just outside the city hall. Shimon Peres, Rabin's political rival, was also present at the rally.
Rabin had agreed to cede some territory won in the 1967 Six-Day War to the Palestinian Liberation Organization. This move was part of the Oslo Accords. The agreements aimed to negotiate a two-state solution. The goal was to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by May 1999.
As Rabin walked away from the stage, a security agent fell back for unknown reasons. Shots then rang out. Agents pushed Rabin into his armored car. When an agent asked if he was hurt, Rabin said he had pain in his back. Those were his final words before he fell unconscious. He had been shot twice, once in his aorta and once in his spleen. The second bullet lodged in his spine.
Rabin was rushed to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv for emergency surgery. His death was announced on television at 11 p.m. that night. Amir had previously planned three attacks on Rabin with his brother and a close friend. All three attempts failed before the successful shooting in Kings of Israel Square.
Amir was sentenced to life imprisonment plus six years. The sentence was later increased to life plus fourteen years for counts of conspiracy and murder. Rabin served as Israel's fifth prime minister. He held office from 1974 until 1977, and again from 1992 until his assassination.
Rabin was known for promoting peace during his military and political career. He received an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for his leadership during the Six-Day War. He helped the IDF recover from the 1973 Yom Kippur War. During his first term, he ordered the hostage rescue mission in Entebbe, known as Operation Yonatan. Rabin received the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1994, nearly a year before his death.
