On November 4, 1995, in Tel Aviv, the prime minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, was assassinated. This political murder took place at the end of a mass support rally for the Oslo Accords, under the banner "Yes to Peace - No to Violence." The purpose of the rally was to show support for the peace policy of the Rabin government and as a reaction to the unprecedented incite-filled demonstrations that had been held against the government's policy (Oslo Accords B) and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The murderer, Yigal Amir, a Jew with a blatant fundamental right-wing ideology, was convinced that the Oslo Accords posed a direct risk to the existence of Israel. He hoped that the murder of the Prime Minister would prevent their implementation. The murder had profound effects on the political situation in Israel, and marked for many a turning point between the relationship between the right- and left-wing ideologies in the State.
The three shots that burst out from the Jewish assassin's gun at the end of the peace rally put an end to the life of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and led to a severe turning point in the history of the State of Israel and the Jewish People.
This was only the second time in the history of the Jewish people that a Jewish leader was murdered by a Jewish assassin. The first - and only - time before was 2,577 years earlier, in the Judean Kingdom when the Jewish governor, Gedaliah Ben Achikam, was slain on 3 Tishrei, 582 BCE (Kings II:25, 25). The severity of the event and its aftermath was such that 3 Tishrei was proclaimed a fast day - the Fast of Gedaliah. Since Rabin's murder, it has become a tradition on the Fast of Gedaliah to hold special prayers at the murder site in Tel Aviv.
The murderer, Yigal Amir, a Jew with a blatant fundamental right-wing ideology, was convinced that the Oslo Accords posed a direct risk to the existence of Israel. He hoped that the murder of the Prime Minister would prevent their implementation. The murder had profound effects on the political situation in Israel, and marked for many a turning point between the relationship between the right- and left-wing ideologies in the State.
The three shots that burst out from the Jewish assassin's gun at the end of the peace rally put an end to the life of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and led to a severe turning point in the history of the State of Israel and the Jewish People.
This was only the second time in the history of the Jewish people that a Jewish leader was murdered by a Jewish assassin. The first - and only - time before was 2,577 years earlier, in the Judean Kingdom when the Jewish governor, Gedaliah Ben Achikam, was slain on 3 Tishrei, 582 BCE (Kings II:25, 25). The severity of the event and its aftermath was such that 3 Tishrei was proclaimed a fast day - the Fast of Gedaliah. Since Rabin's murder, it has become a tradition on the Fast of Gedaliah to hold special prayers at the murder site in Tel Aviv.