Rabin Assassination Marks 31 Years

Thirty-one years ago this week, former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin died after being shot in Tel Aviv. The assassination occurred on November 4, 1995, during a large gathering in Kings of Israel Square, now called Rabin Square. The event was held just outside city hall and drew more than 100,000 spectators.

Rabin served as Israel’s fifth prime minister across two non-consecutive terms. His first term ran from 1974 to 1977, and his second began in 1992. He had recently received the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1994. The award recognized his work on the Oslo Accords, a series of agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The accords aimed to cede some territory won in the 1967 Six-Day War in exchange for a two-state solution by May 1999.

Shimon Peres, Rabin’s political rival, attended the rally. As Rabin walked away from the crowd, an agent walking behind him stepped back for reasons that are not specified. Shots rang out immediately. The security team pushed the prime minister into his armored car. When asked if he was hurt, Rabin said he felt pain in his back. He then lost consciousness.

Medical staff rushed Rabin to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv for emergency surgery. He had been shot twice. One bullet struck his aorta, and the other lodged in his spine after hitting his spleen. Officials announced his death on television at 11 p.m. that night.

The shooter was Yigal Amir, a far-right Jewish activist. Amir had planned three previous attacks on Rabin with his brother and a close friend. All three earlier attempts failed. A court sentenced Amir to life imprisonment plus six years. That sentence was later increased to life plus fourteen years for conspiracy and murder.

Rabin’s career included major military and political achievements. He received an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for his leadership during the Six-Day War as a lieutenant general. He helped the IDF recover from the 1973 Yom Kippur War. During his first term, he ordered the hostage rescue mission at Entebbe, known as Operation Yonatan.