Overview
- Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was shot dead on Nov. 4, 1995 at a Tel Aviv peace rally by Yigal Amir, a far-right Israeli later sentenced to life in prison plus 14 years.
- Rabin concluded the conflict required a political solution, authorized secret talks with the PLO, and advanced the Oslo framework that enabled limited Palestinian self-rule.
- Mourners filled public squares, Israel held a state funeral, and enduring memorials cemented the killing as a national turning point recalled on its 30th anniversary.
- Commentary argues that religious‑nationalist currents that inspired the murder have moved into the mainstream, citing cabinet ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben‑Gvir.
- A former U.S. envoy writes that Rabin would try to leverage current regional signals—including Arab statements on Hamas and a U.S. peace plan—by pairing Israeli concessions with Palestinian governance reforms.