Haggai Amir (file)
Haggai Amir (file)Oren Nahshon/Flash90

Israel Police arrested the brother of the assassin of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin late Tuesday night, after he posted threats against President Reuven Rivlin on Facebook close to the 20th anniversary of Rabin's death.

Rivlin had stated in his own Facebook post prior to the anniversary that he would never pardon Yigal Amir, Rabin's assassin. 

In response, Yigal's brother Haggai added his own commentary - attacking Rivlin and the state for, as he put it, being presumptuous enough to take the law into their own hands. 

"Rivlin is a sycophant of a politician - it's not him who decides if my brother walks free or not," he said. "Only God decides, just as He decided that Rabin would drop dead, despite the fact that Rivlin and his friends did not exactly agree to it, and He decided that Rivlin would be President and that there would come a time when Rivlin, as well as the Zionist state, would need to be eradicated forever - like Sodom was eliminated due to the crimes they committed against their own people." 

"And we're not so far from that today," he added. 

Late Tuesday night, the Yarkon Precinct of the Israel Police arrested Haggai over the post, Walla! News reports, and kept him in the Glilot police station overnight for questioning and observation.

On Wednesday morning, Amir stated to the Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court that he "did not regret" his words, as they are a "political protest." His detention was extended by three days.  

Minister for Social Equality Gila Gamliel (Likud) fumed over the post Wednesday morning.

"It seems that nothing has been learned in light of incitement from the brother of the prime minister's murderer," she stated to Channel 10. "It is outrageous and it must be condemned."

"It's right of the President to speak about the situation which changed the face of our country," she added, "a situation in which a Jew murdered democracy and imposed his position on the public."

Haggai Amir, 46, was released two and a half years ago from Ayalon Prison, following a 16.5-year prison sentence for involvement in Rabin's assassination; he was formally charged with conspiracy to commit murder, illegal possession of weapons, and threats. Yigal was sentenced to life in prison and six years. 

Amir has been known to make threats before; in 2006, he was sentenced to an additional year in prison for threats to then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.