Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, held a memorial ceremony on Monday marking 30 years since the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
“Today we remember Yitzhak Rabin - the first native-born Israeli Prime Minister, a proud Jew, Zionist, and Israeli. A statesman who dedicated his life to the security and future of the country. The assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is a dark day in the history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel,” Akunis said.
He continued, “Rabin said, minutes before his assassination, that ‘violence is the erosion of the foundations of Israeli democracy.’ There can be debates and disagreements, but decisions must always be made through democratic elections - that is the essence of democracy.”
Akunis noted that despite political differences, there was broad agreement on one of Rabin’s core policy positions. “I had disagreements with Rabin’s policies, but on one fundamental issue there was wide consensus - his opposition to a Palestinian state. Just days before his assassination, he said: ‘They will have an entity that is less than a state.’”