10 years ago by an extremist opposing his plan for peace and more security in the fragile Jewish state.
Though violence decreased over the past year, efforts to revive the peace talks Rabin began have faltered, adding to fuel for terror groups, including al-Qaida in Iraq. On a website the group said "it will not be long before raids by the mujahedeen come" to Israel itself.
Jordan, where it attacked three hotels this week killing scores of people in Amman, was just "a bufferzone," al-Qaida in Iraq stressed.
Braving the threat and possible suicide bombings, Israelis packed Tel Aviv square where Rabin was assassinated and to express hopes that his memory would spur new efforts to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as stability across the region.
ISRAELI FLAGS
Those at the memorial rally Saturday sang songs of peace, held candles and waved Israeli flags as they remembered Rabin, who won a Noble Peace Prize for signing the Oslo interim peace accords with the Palestinians, as a strong leader who loved his people and made the ultimate sacrifice for peace.
"I loved him very much, and I was in awe of his ability to move from being a soldier to being a peacemaker, a politician to a statesman," said former US President Bill Clinton, who worked closely with Rabin on the Oslo peace accords. He stressed a week had not gone by in the last 10 years in which he had not thought of Rabin and missed him.
During the memorial, images of Rabin played on a huge television screen towering over the very square where the premier addressed a peace rally a decade ago, minutes before he was killed.
"LOVE AND SUPPORT"
"I stood here with him exactly 10 years ago. I was able to see what he saw, you wonderful people, you young people jumped into that pool there, cheering ‘Long live peace, long live Yitzhak.’ He was moved to the depths of his soul by that love and support," added Vice Premier Shimon Peres, who shared the Nobel Prize with Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
"I’m calling on you, get into political life and with your strength carry the load of peace for the state of Israel," Peres said. "Peace is in your hands."
Rabin was shot and killed as he left the peace rally here on November 4, 1995. Yigal Amir, an extremist Jew who considered Rabin a traitor for making concessions to the Palestinians, was convicted of the crime. Since the killing, relations with the Palestinians steeply deteriorated, finally collapsing in a wave of violence that began more than five years ago and left the peace process in shatters.
TELEVISION SCREEN
During the memorial, images of Rabin played on a huge television screen towering over the very square where the premier addressed a peace rally a decade ago, minutes before he was killed, reporters said.
"I stood here with him exactly 10 years ago. I was able to see what he saw, you wonderful people, you young people jumped into that pool there, cheering ‘Long live peace, long live Yitzhak.’ He was moved to the depths of his soul by that love and support." said Vice Premier Shimon Peres, who shared the Nobel Prize with Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
"I’m calling on you, get into political life and with your strength carry the load of peace for the state of Israel," Peres said. "Peace is in your hands."
PEACE SONG
The memorial ended the same way the previous peace rally did with the same peace activists and political leaders who were there a decade gathering on the stage to sing "The Peace Song." Only Rabin was missing.
Rabin was shot and killed as he the peace rally November 4, 1995. Yigal Amir, an extremist Jew who considered Rabin a traitor for making concessions to the Palestinians, was convicted of the crime. Since the killing the peace process was left in shatters with violence breaking out between Israelis and Palestinians.
Opinion polls say Israelis see Rabin’s assassination as the third most important event in the history of their country, after the 1973 Yom Kippur and the 1967 Middle East war. (With reports from Israel, Stefan J. Bos and BosNewsLife Research).
