Former prime minister warns Israel could face another political assassination

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Jewish News that Israel could face another political assassination in the wake of last week’s controversial election result, as the country marks the 27th anniversary of the murder of Yitzhak Rabin. 

Olmert, 77, who was prime minister from 2006 to 2009, warned this newspaper that when someone like Itamar Ben-Gvir, “who waves guns in public and for years was involved in incitement against Rabin” is now a potential public security minister, “you don’t need a wild imagination to assume where it can lead to”.

In the weeks leading up to Rabin’s assassination, Ben-Gvir, now leader in the Israeli far-right Otzma Yehudit party, was chillingly filmed holding an emblem of the prime minister’s car in his hand, saying “we got to his car, and we will get to him (Rabin) too.”

Olmert also dismissed allegations made by Religious Zionism leader Betzalel Smotrich that Shin Bet was responsible for the murder of Rabin. “It’s nonsense. Made up,” Olmert said.

Smotrich drew widespread condemnation for his speech in the Knesset on Sunday in which he said that Shin Bet “not only failed to protect Rabin, but also used irresponsible manipulations, which haven’t been fully exposed to this day, to encourage the murderer to carry out his plan.”

Former military and intelligence chiefs were quick to slam Smotrich, calling it a “blatant lie” and “deplorable accusations.”

“The truth is that the extreme right was inciting against Rabin and they  were responsible for creating the atmosphere which contributed to the assassination. And no one can be relieved of his responsibility for creating this atmosphere, first and foremost, the former prime minister, and the candidate for prime minister now, (Netanyahu),” Olmert said.

Netanyahu has repeatedly dismissed having any role in inciting against Rabin at the time, releasing a video in 2016 to prove his point.

The video shows Netanyahu speaking at a rally in 1995, telling the crowd that “Rabin is a political opponent, but he is not a traitor. He is mistaken. … We are dealing with political rivals, not enemies. He is not a traitor.”

The clip also shows Netanyahu, then opposition leader, in a TV interview saying “Such calls, directed at the prime minister of Israel, regardless of the party he represents, are inappropriate. It is immoral and it is untrue. I urge those people doing this to stop, because we will all denounce you.”

Netanyahu did, however, make a speech at Zion Square in Jerusalem in 1995 which later came back to haunt him, with some in the crowd chanting “death to Rabin.”

Olmert, who was mayor of Jerusalem in 1995, said he distanced himself from the demonstrations and incitement against Rabin at the time.

“I refused to take part in those demonstrations. We spelled it out in the most explicit manner, that this incitement may lead to something very bad,” Olmert said.