On the evening of November 4, 1995, 100,000 people gathered in Tel Aviv. It was the largest peaceful demonstration the country had seen in years.
pThe Israeli Prime Minister takes to the stage in front of a sea of people. Yitzhak Rabin, 73, thanked the crowd for its large turnout as he hammered out a historic accord recognizing autonomy for Palestine. At 9:50 p.m., he gets off the platform and heads to his car. This is where the story changes.
An ultranationalist Jew, a member of a small far-right group opposed to the peace process, emerges from the crowd and fires three shots. Yitzhak Rabin was wounded in the spleen and spine. He was rushed to the hospital where he died around 10.30 pm. The wish of the small far-right groups was granted: the man who wanted peace was dead.
This is one of those rare moments in history when happiness and greatness come together in a valley.
EFalse Barnavi remembers this evening well. A co-organizer of this pro-peace demonstration, he attended the first events Terrace of Tel Aviv City Hall. l’EGervain, a university professor and former Israeli ambassador to France, was one of the last people to speak with Yitzhak Rabin before he was assassinated. He testifies to this vivid and painful memory: “When I came down, we went to celebrate, ate at a nearby restaurant, and that’s when we heard the rumor spread: there had been an attempt on Robin’s life. We rushed home. We turned on the television and saw his driver and friend slumped over the hood of his car. We know it’s over“ He declares, seeing the move.
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