Marking anniversary of Rabin assassination, Eisenkot warns Netanyahu, allies dragging Israel to ‘dark abyss’

On the anniversary of the 1995 assassination of slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot invokes his memory, warning that Israel’s democracy is under threat and vowing to stand against attempts to “drag Israel into a dark abyss.”

“Rabin’s murder is a grave national reminder to us all: Violence does not appear one morning out of nowhere,” Eisenkot says in a statement. “It is the result of ongoing, organized campaigns of incitement, agitation and division.”

Eisenkot accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party of seeking to “sabotage Israeli democracy” and “inflame violence” in the streets.

He also refers to far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, recalling that a month before Rabin’s assassination, Ben Gvir, then a teenager, infamously tore the emblem off Rabin’s car and said, “If we got to this emblem, we can get to Rabin.”

“That same man, who is responsible for the Israel Police and internal security, called this morning for the leaders of political parties in Israel to be interrogated in Shin Bet basement cells – in violation of proper governance and the law,” Eisenkot says, referring to Ben Gvir’s calls for Arab politicians to be interrogated.

“We will not allow Israel to be dragged into a dark abyss far beyond the boundaries of democratic rules,” Eisenkot says. “I intend to stand against these attempts. Without flinching. Because the future of Israel and Israeli democracy is at stake.”

Eisenkot’s remarks are the second time in 24 hours that the former IDF chief of staff has invoked Rabin’s memory. Rabin was also IDF chief of staff.

Last night, after laying out immediate legislative plans in a video statement, Eisenkot warned that the coming days would be “filled with spins and false, ugly briefings.” He said Israel must remember the lessons of violence and incitement surrounding Rabin’s assassination and “stand firm without fear.”