Wednesday marks six years since the assassination of Rechavam "Gandhi"  Ze’evi, who was Israel’s Tourism Minister at the time of his murder by an Arab terrorist on October 17, 2001.

Ze’evi, an IDF general and renowned historian, headed the Moledet party and promoted a platform of voluntary transfer of Arabs from Israel, including Judea, Samaria and Gaza. 

He was shot dead at Jerusalem’s Hyatt Hotel, now the Regency, by terrorists of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Ze’evi’s eldest son Palmach was interviewed on Army Radio Wednesday morning. Host Razi Barkai asked him where his father would be today if he were still alive.

“He would be prime minister,” Palmach said. “There are a good chances that even you would give him much more credit today after all that has happened. Much has changed since they used to throw tomatoes at the idea of transfer.”

Barkai: So if he was prime minister, he wouldn’t go to Annapolis? He wouldn’t make a deal with Abu Mazen? He wouldn’t give up territory?

Ze’evi: I’ll tell you something, my father would always ask himself, ‘What has changed that we are suddenly deciding to take these steps? Have the Arabs changed? Has Islam changed?’…We have sat with all the so-called moderates, and even they haven’t given up the Right of Return…We are falling over ourselves to receive a hug from the world and endangering the country.”

Barkai: You have to admit, morality aside, that transfer is simply not do-able, it is not practical today. It just can’t be done in the Middle East today.



Ze’evi: Razi, let’s stop this demagoguery. If you and all those who repeat the mantra that transfer is impossible would hold a serious discussion on it for once, it would be considered seriously. It is serious if you desire life. Two nations cannot split the land. That has not worked anywhere in the world and certainly not in the Middle East. This is the reality. There are many ways to implement it, but to come and say let’s make two camps so we can live here, and to say that transfer is racist and impractical, is really not dealing with the issue.

Barkai: So who should lead the country today?

Ze’evi: I won’t evade the question completely, but I will tell you that ideology is sorely lacking in nearly all members of the leadership today…I will say that the most worthy of all the possibilities today is Binyamin Netanyahu.

Memorial Ceremony

A memorial ceremony for Ze’evi is scheduled for Thursday at 3 PM at the Mt. Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem. It will be attended by dignitaries, friends and family. The public is invited to take part.