Forum at Rabin Center
Forum at Rabin CenterIDF Spokesman

Members of the General Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) held a special conference Monday to mark the 19th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Rabin was murdered by extremist Yigal Amir on the evening of November 4, 1995. He had been attending a mass rally at the Kings of Israel Square (now Rabin Square) in Tel Aviv, held in support of the Oslo Accords

Monday's conference - whose theme was "fighting spirit" - took place at the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv, a national institute, museum and conference center. It began with a memorial ceremony for Rabin. 

Staff members then attended a seminar focused on three key issues: combat and the fighting spirit throughout the history of the Yishuv (pre-state Jewish community) and the State of Israel; the fighting spirit in Operation Protective Edge; and the ethics of fighting spirit and the sources of motivation for its construction. 

"It's hard to find a man, whose stature is so set in stone -  whose life is woven through the center of the rebirth of Israel and the struggle for security, as was the life of Yitzhak Rabin," said IDF Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz. "Today we stand in the spacious courtyard of the Yitzhak Rabin Center. Spread out before us, in all its glory, is Tel Aviv, the city that he loved, the city where he grew up, where he dwelled, where he was also murdered." 

According to Gantz, the spirit which infused Rabin's speeches is the same spirit that guides the IDF commanders and soldiers today.

"The values ​​upon which he grew, the heritage from which he sprang, the values that he gave, and the legacy that he left behind - these are the things that guide us in our actions to take on present tasks and future challenges." 

"That was the case last summer, during Operation Brother's Keeper and Operation Protective Edge. IDF forces fought with dedication, determination and with great love for Israel, our homeland. Today, we, the leading commanders of the Israel Defense Forces, have undertaken the task of carrying with us the memory and legacy of Yitzhak Rabin. We must carry his fighting spirit in our hearts, and continue acting on behalf of the State of Israel's defense," Gantz concluded.