Rabin, the Last Day

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Yitzhak Rabin went through a very

difficult time before he was assassinated.

That's when I admired him most.

Why?

There was tremendous propaganda

against the Oslo Accords.

They made a coffin

and dressed his effigy

in SS uniform, Nazi uniform.

And I saw how he took it,

with extraordinary courage.

That was inspiring.

He didn't back down,

he wasn't afraid.

One day we passed

the Wingate Institute

and people spat

and shouted at him.

Amazing.

He acted like he didn't care.

Not that he wasn't worried...

but he felt that support

for Oslo had diminished

and if elections were held...

we probably wouldn't win.

That's why we decided

to hold that rally,

that gathering...

in what's now called Rabin Square.

Were you afraid people wouldn't come?

He was desperate.

He didn't think people would come.

When we got to the rally

he was stunned to see...

the hundreds of thousands

of people...

and the unprecedented

excitement and enthusiasm.

We stood on the balcony

of City Hall.

Beneath us was a pool...

and the youngsters jumped into

the water shouting, Rabin! Rabin!

Peace! Oslo!

He was beside himself.

Everything went smoothly...

and then that gentleman came along,

the assassin.

There are all sorts of conspiracy theories.

What do you think?

You were closest to the events.

My opinion is

that sedition was in the air...

not organized sedition,

but the atmosphere made it possible.

How did it manifest?

They dressed his effigy

in Nazi uniform.

They carried a coffin marked

Here lies Rabin.

They spat at him, shouted at him,

swore at him.

It was horrible.

Did he talk to you about it?

I saw it for myself.

They did the same to me,

but with him it was horrifying.

Horrifying.

One problem was what to do

about it afterwards.

I could've turned it into a civil war.

Shimon, I'd like to go back

to the murder and the sedition

since they have implications

on the current situation.

That is, whenever Israeli leaders

make concessions

based on their historical perspective

in order to come to agreements,

all hell breaks loose.

We've even seen recently -

I spoke to Dalia Rabin,

and she said that on Facebook,

to this day,

over 20 years later,

people still slander Rabin.

Going back to the sedition

of 20 years ago,

how did you feel

as the people initiating a process

intended to create peace

with the Palestinians?

We refused to back down.

Even if we thought

we might have to pay a dear price.

If you send out a soldier,

he may get killed,

and the same is true of a leader.

There's no difference.

I knew it might lead to catastrophe...

but in terms of propaganda,

the Likud outdid us.

Where did the negative elements

like Yigal Amir come from?

Where in Israeli society?

He was a religious fellow...

he was even a yeshiva student,

and he absorbed all the propaganda

against dividing Israel.

It was the continuation of the debate

over the partition plan.

Now back to Rabin.

How do you see his last days?

The threat made him

even more determined.

I said that to begin with.

That was when I most admired Rabin

because of his ability

to stand up to the threats.

How did that manifest?

For instance, he gave up no ground.

He didn't cancel one meeting.

He didn't cancel one appearance.

He paid no attention when people

shouted at him and derided him.

He acted as if it didn't concern him...

and he carried on.

He gave up no ground.

No ground. That's the test.

If Yitzhak Rabin hadn't been assassinated,

would we have achieved -

maybe not peace,

but a more stable situation?

Yes.

Permit me to say

that I too am deeply moved.

I wish to thank each

and every one of you

for coming here to take a stand

against violence and for peace.

This government...

which I am privileged to head...

together with my friend Shimon Peres...

decided to give peace a chance,

a peace that will solve most

of Israel's problems.

I was a military man for 27 years.

I fought as long

as there was no chance for peace.

I believe that

there is now a chance for peace,

a great chance...

and we must take advantage of it...

for the sake of those standing here

and for those who are not here,

and they are many.

I've always believed that the majority

of the people want peace

and are willing

to take risks for peace...

and you here,

by attending this rally,

demonstrate, together with many others

who did not come,

that the people truly desire peace.

It's odd

that the footage

of this horrific event

which someone filmed

is in our hands now.

The assassin managed to stay,

unnoticed, for 40 minutes

in what was supposed to be

a sterile zone.

The obvious conclusion

is that security was disregarded

in the northern parking lot...

the crowd there was unsupervised

as were the pedestrians

coming from the east and the west...

the lighting in the parking lot,

the roof of the City Garden mall...

and everything else

having to do with the area.

Everyone knew that it would be used

by the prime minister,

the foreign minister,

all the dignitaries,

it was the passageway

between the restricted stage area

and the guarded car,

everyone knew it.

A very dangerous zone

that required special attention.

There was none whatsoever.

Back on-the-record

for protocol's sake

about the chain of events

on November 4

from the moment

you arrived at the square.

I arrived at the square

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