Tel Aviv mayor said to cancel participation at Rabin memorial because Lapid also a keynote speaker

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai has canceled his participation in tomorrow evening’s memorial event marking 25 years since prime minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination after learning Opposition Leader Yair Lapid would also be a keynote speaker, the Walla news site reports.

“From the moment it became clear that the character of the event is political, [Huldai] decided to relinquish his right to speak,” sources close to the Tel Aviv mayor are quoted as saying.

According to the report, Huldai told organizers yesterday he was canceling his appearance after learning that he would not be the only keynote speaker, even though it was already announced that both he and Lapid would be keynote speakers and the two met earlier in the week.

Huldai has recently signaled he’ll run for the Knesset if new general elections are called.

Tomorrow evening’s event will be held at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, where Rabin was gunned down in November 1994 by Jewish extremist Yigal Amir after a rally called to highlight opposition to violence and to showcase public support for the premier’s efforts to make peace with the Palestinians.