Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein refused a request to speak at the memorial rally for slain ex-Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin in Tel Aviv.
Edelstein had been invited by the left-wing V-15 group to speak but turned down the offer after deciding that the rally was too political.
"I thought that about half a century after the abominable murder, we could overcome the political biases and convene a single memorial evening in which we would support the founding values of Israeli society, such as partnership of fate and destiny, mutual trust and adherence to peaceful means even in times of dispute. Unfortunately, it seems that the time is not yet ripe for this," wrote Edelstein to the rally organizers.