Rabin Assassin Shows No Remorse
J E R U S A L E M, Nov. 7, 2000 -- — The assassin of Israeli peace pioneer YitzhakRabin said Monday he has only one regret — that he didn’t kill theprime minister sooner.
Appearing in court five years after he gunned Rabin down at apeace rally, a relaxed and smiling Yigal Amir chatted withreporters before a hearing about his prison conditions.
Handcuffed and wearing a brown prison services jacket in theBeer Sheba courtroom, not far from the prison where he is held inisolation, Amir was asked if he has any regrets. “Yes,” hereplied evenly, “why didn’t I do it earlier?”
Amir assassinated Rabin on Nov. 4, 1995 after a rally in TelAviv. As Rabin was walking toward his car accompanied by securityagents, Amir approached him from the back and shot him twice,fatally wounding him.
Amir, now 30, was sentenced to life in prison. A nationalist, hesaid he shot Rabin to stop the prime minister’s peacemaking effortswith the Palestinians.
Rabin, along with his foreign minister, Shimon Peres, andPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat, won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prizefor achieving their first interim peace accord. But now — aftermore than a month of bloody clashes between Israelis andPalestinians — many Israelis say the peace process Rabin started isa failure.
Doesn’t Want a Pardon
A poll in a local newspaper indicated that 12 percent of thepeople believe Amir should receive a pardon. Israeli PresidentMoshe Katsav said he would never sign a pardon.
Amir said he does not want one.
“I didn’t do this on a personal basis,” he said. “I did it toprevent something.”
That was little comfort to Rabin’s daughter, DaliaRabin-Pelossof, now a member of Israel’s parliament.
“I don’t trust our politicians,” she told Israel television.“If there are 12 percent today who justify his actions, I’m afraidthat there could be a politician who would grant him a pardon inthe future.”
Amir equated Rabin with Israel’s current prime minister, EhudBarak. He said both were brought from the center to front forpolicies that mean giving up substantial parts of the West Bank andGaza Strip, the areas that Palestinian leaders want for anindependent state.
Advice to Settlers
In July, Barak reportedly offered the Palestinians about 90percent of the West Bank and control of Palestinian neighborhoodsin Jerusalem, but Arafat turned him down.
Amir advised Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza toprotect themselves against the Barak government’s policy.
“They think if they are nice, that will save them,” he said.“The settlers don’t understand that if they continue with thisstupid silence, they will be thrown to the dogs.”
On Saturday night, about 100,000 people attended a memorialrally for Rabin at the Tel Aviv square where he was shot. Theofficial memorial day is to be marked Thursday with ceremonies athis grave and in parliament and schools.