Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak RabinReuters

The Mattot Arim NGO on Saturday night sent a letter to the American Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, telling him that Washington had shown “disrespect” for former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

In the letter, sent as Israel marked the 20th anniversary of Rabin’s assassination, the NGO pointed out to Shapiro that the late prime minister had been opposed to a Palestinian state as well as to a halt in construction in Judea and Samaria.

“On the advent of the 20th anniversary of the Rabin assassination we urge you to apprise U.S. President Obama that his Administration has twice shown an unfortunate disrespect for the legacy of Israel’s slain leader Yitzhak Rabin,” wrote Mattot Arim.

“First, the Obama Administration recently interfered in the Israeli democratic process by insisting that Israel’s duly elected prime minister recant on a legitimate campaign promise to the Israeli public that no Palestinian terrorist state would come into existence just a bike-ride away from Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv and Ben-Gurion airport,” it continued. “This is particularly unfortunate since opposition to a Palestinian state is no pet project of Prime Minister Netanyahu; it is central to the legacy of  Israel’s slain leader and Nobel Peace Laureate Yitzhak Rabin.”

The letter noted that Rabin had made clear over and over again that he was opposed to a Palestinian state. One example cited by Mattot Arim is that a report in the New York Times which quoted Rabin as having emphasized that "We do not accept the Palestinian goal of an independent Palestinian state between Israel and Jordan. We believe there is a separate Palestinian entity short of a state."

“Second,” the letter continued, “the Obama Administration has publicly pressured Israel’s Defense Minister and former IDF chief of staff, Moshe Bogie Ya’alon, to prevent Jewish building in Judea and Samaria. What of the integrity of the United States? It is public knowledge that the United States presided over and was signatory to the Oslo Accords, the signing ceremony for which was held in the presence of the President of the United States. But in these very negotiations, Israel under the leadership of the late Rabin, ‘came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.’ These precise words are part of the Rabin legacy and are publicly available on the Knesset website.”

“We hereby, through you, sincerely request that the United States henceforth make a greater effort to respect the Rabin legacy particularly regarding all matters pertaining to the Land of Israel,” the letter concluded.