The daughter of former Israeli President Yitzhak Rabin warned that the current atmosphere of incitement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could lead to an assassination like her father’s. Photo: Sgt. Robert G. Clambus via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – At a state ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the assassination of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, his daughter Dalia warned that the current atmosphere of incitement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could lead to a similar result.

“I thought the darkness that had fallen on the family would bring unity of purpose and an understanding that the shots fired in the square were a challenge to democracy. Since then, I’ve witnessed rivers of deep, dark hatred spreading throughout public discourse. And this fire, which consumes all the good in its path, is fueled by unbridled incitement, the same incitement that created the impression that it was allowed and possible to shoot a prime minister,” said Dalia Rabin-Pelossof, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Rabin was assassinated in Tel Aviv by Jewish extremist Yigal Amir following a rally in support of the Oslo Accords on Nov. 4, 1995.

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett also addressed the theme of incitement at a youth state memorial for Rabin held Sunday at the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv.

“We live in an advanced cellular age. An age of Facebook and WhatsApp, and an age of free-flowing information, where everyone has cameras with them at any given moment. Unfortunately, this also makes incitement easier. The ability to fan the flames is more accessible. The incitement of the 1990s has turned today into the phenomenon of ‘shaming.’ We have the ability to insult a person without checking the facts, without any relation to his actions. We can simply humiliate him in front of everyone and encourage the public to judge him. This is the dangerous development in Israeli society 20 years after the murder.It is up to us to learn a lesson from the murder. We must never be quick on the trigger or the keyboard. Violent words lead to violent actions, incitement leads to murder,” said Bennett.

Also on Sunday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke at the annual Rabin memorial ceremony at the President’s Residence, vowing never to allow Rabin’s killer, Yigal Amir, to go free.

“As long as I am president of the State of Israel, the murderer will not walk free,” Rivlin vowed.

“May my right hand wither if I ever sign a pardon for that damned man. Never,” he added, Israel Hayom reported.