At Rabin memorial, Herzog decries ‘appalling’ political threats, warns against violence

President Isaac Herzog warns that political violence continues to threaten Israeli democracy, condemning threats against elected officials at a state memorial ceremony marking 31 years since the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

“Thirty-one years after the horrific murder, there are still people in Israel who dare to utter — and type on their keyboards — appalling threats to murder elected officials, from the prime minister to ministers, members of Knesset and political leaders,” Herzog says at the President’s Residence. “There is no place for political violence in a civilized country. There is no place for violence, period.”

Herzog also expresses alarm at a roadside sign he says he saw on Route 1 from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem calling for the release of Rabin’s assassin, Yigal Amir. “The very possibility that such a call could appear in a public space and be met with a shrug should keep us awake at night,” he says, insisting that “the murderer must never be released. He must spend the rest of his life in prison.”

The left-wing leader was assassinated in 1995 by far-right extremist Amir after attending a mass peace rally in Tel Aviv’s Kings of Israel Square — since renamed Rabin Square — that was called to highlight opposition to violence and to showcase public support for his efforts to negotiate peace with the Palestinians.