Zamir: Military leadership demands responsibility alongside daring and determination

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IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a ceremony to mark the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin 31 years earlier, November 9, 2026 (Israel Defense Forces)

Speaking at a ceremony to mark 31 years since the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said that military leadership “demands responsibility, professionalism, and sound judgment, alongside daring and determination.”

“A commander must possess a deep understanding of their own forces and the enemy; they must listen, critically examine their own assumptions, and make decisive choices,” Zamir said yesterday, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces.

Zamir said that complacency was a contributing factor to October 7, and noted that Rabin warned against it.

“One of the factors contributing to the events of October 7 was the flawed culture of ‘it’ll be OK’ — a mindset that Rabin warned against,” Zamir said. “As an IDF officer, do not say ‘it’ll be OK’; say, ‘I am responsible.’ A commander must feel the full weight of the absolute responsibility placed upon them, and must constantly strive to fulfill it.”

“The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin remains a deep wound in the history of the state. Remembering this event compels us to categorically reject violence within Israeli society as a means of resolving our internal disputes,” said Zamir.

“We must integrate the lessons of this day into our daily command routine and the decisions that lie ahead, driven by a sense of responsibility for the security of the state, for our own people, and for Israeli society as a whole,” he said.

Rabin, born in 1922, was a senior officer in the nascent IDF during the 1948 War of Independence, then rose to become the military’s chief of staff during the 1967 Six Day War. He served as prime minister from 1974 to 1977, and again from 1992 until he was assassinated in 1995 by far-right Jewish extremist Yigal Amir after attending a mass peace rally in Tel Aviv.

The rally was called despite threats to Rabin’s life in order to highlight opposition to violence and showcase public support for his efforts to negotiate peace with the Palestinians.