The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict #68: Crushing the Dreams Of A Nation
Good morning, class! Thank you for coming on time; I appreciate that.
Let’s remember what happened during the time of the Oslo Accords.
The Tension Is In The Air
The period after the signing of the Oslo Accords was tumultuous in Israel. The massacre at the Cave of the Patriarchs and a wave of suicide attacks in Israel in 1994-1995, in which dozens of people were murdered, caused a sharp rift between the right and the left of the political map. The right wing accused the government led by Yitzhak Rabin of policies leading to Palestinian terrorist attacks, sparking an extensive public campaign against the government and Rabin himself.
The Extremists On Both Sides Want To Kill Any Attempt At Peace
The Oslo Accords brought hope to the State of Israel. Thanks to them, foreign investments in Israel increased 30-fold, and political relations were established with many countries that previously boycotted Israel, leading to a clear improvement in the country's economic and political situation. However, opponents of the Oslo Accords continued to oppose them violently, claiming that the Palestinians' intention was to achieve what they could within the framework of the PLO's theory of phases and then violate the agreement. With the increase in terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers, opposition to the agreements grew, mainly from extreme right-wing political parties. According to opponents, the Palestinians did not do enough to prevent terrorism, and among the perpetrators of the attacks were members of the Fatah mechanisms.
The Palestinian side also expressed their displeasure with the Oslo Accords, leading to many terrorist attacks, the most serious being the abduction and killing of soldier Nachshon Wachsman. The number of Israelis murdered in these terrorist acts more than doubled, reaching a record of 256 Israelis. As a result, impromptu demonstrations were organized at the scenes of attacks immediately after they occurred, and many protests were held all over the country, which included blocking roads and intersections. In these demonstrations, chants of "Rabin a traitor" and "Rabin a murderer" were heard.
The Extremist Right Spread Hatred And Lies In Protests
In March 1994, a demonstration was held at the Ra'anana intersection with the participation of opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu, in which demonstrators carried a coffin, wrapped hanging ropes around their necks, chanted "Death to Rabin," and burned pictures of Rabin. On October 2, 1995, rabbis held a Pulsa Danora ceremony in front of Rabin's house in Jerusalem. During one of the demonstrations, a poster created by minor extreme right-wing protesters was published, in which Rabin was shown dressed in SS uniform, and one of its copies was given to the journalist Rina Matzliach by Itamar Ben Gvir, today's Minister of National Security.
Following the demonstrations, a government meeting was held to discuss the possibility of prosecuting those who allow the blood of the Prime Minister and incite harm to him physically.
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During a conference that Rabin attended, a mob attacked his car, and one of those present tried to physically attack him. After that incident, Itamar Ben Gvir, an activist of the “Kach” movement (political party), was interviewed on television with a symbol of a Cadillac car, which he claimed was displaced from Rabin's car, and said: "Just as we reached this symbol - we can reach Rabin.? “Kach” was a political movement, a terrorist organization, and an extreme right-wing, Jewish-religious Israeli party founded by Rabbi Meir Kahana. Following the massacre in the Cave of the Patriarchs by Baruch Goldstein, who was active in the “Kach”? movement, the State of Israel declared the “Kach”? movement a terrorist organization.
Yes To Peace, No To Violence
As a counterweight to the right-wing demonstrations, left-wing movements organized a large demonstration in support of the coalition, the government, and Rabin under the title "Yes to peace, no to violence" on Saturday night, November 4, 1995. The demonstration held in the Kings of Israel Square in the Tel Aviv Municipality Square gathered hundreds of thousands from all over Israel who came to support peace. Rabin spoke at the rally and emphasized that peace is a supreme value and violence must not be tolerated. At the end of the rally, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres joined the singer Miri Aloni in singing "Song for Peace - Shir LaShalom" with the entire audience present. There was a feeling of elation in the air, and the Shekinah was present and enveloped all present with great love.
A Song For Peace
At the end of the "Song for Peace Shir LaShalom," Rabin stepped off the stage, bid farewell to those present, and began walking towards his car. Around 21:45, while Rabin descended the stairs from the square towards the door of his open car, accompanied by his bodyguards of the Personal Security Unit, the assailant, Yigal Amir, a law student at Bar-Ilan University with extreme right-wing views, approached him and fired three shots at him from short range. Two bullets struck Rabin, who was not wearing a protective vest, in the center of his body, and one hit his bodyguard. Rabin was rushed to his car and transported to the Sourasky Tel Aviv Medical Center, where he died 40 minutes later from his injuries after the resuscitation efforts of a team of doctors who tried to operate and save him failed.?
It’s not easy, so we'll stop here for today and continue tomorrow.?
That's all for today, class.
Take care.