Tens of thousands gather in Tel Aviv, marking 30 years since assassination of PM Yitzhak Rabin, call for unity & peace

Tens of thousands gathered at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday to mark 30 years since former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination. Opposition leader Yair Lapid, Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot, Democrats chair Yair Golan, and former minister Tzipi Livni attended. The rally opened with the song “Shir HaRe’ut” and closed with a moment of silence at 9:45 p.m. – the hour of Rabin’s killing – followed by Miri Aloni’s “Song for Peace,” which she also performed at the memorial in 1995.

Lapid opened the rally, saying the three bullets fired in Rabin Square targeted not just a leader but an idea. “That is the meaning of political murder, to kill both a man and a vision. The man was killed. It is our duty to make sure the vision lives on,” he said, accusing extremists of claiming Judaism overrides democracy to justify violence. “That is not Judaism. The extremists do not represent it. In this square, Judaism did not pull the trigger. Judaism was shot. Judaism did not murder. Judaism was murdered,” Lapid continued.

He added that Yigal Amir’s attack went beyond the Oslo process: “He tried to kill something much greater, the idea that a country can be both strong and peace-seeking, both national and liberal, and above all, both Jewish and democratic.”

Lapid urged religious Israelis who had spoken out after the assassination to raise their voices again, condemning calls for atomic strikes on Gaza and settler violence. He stressed that Judaism “does not belong to extremists, the corrupt or draft dodgers,” and invoked the biblical principle that human life is sacred.

Gadi Mozes, an Israeli from Kibbutz Nir Oz who was held hostage by Hamas for 482 days, shared his experience and called on Israelis to embrace peace for the sake of future generations. “If I can stand here and say these things out loud, then all of us can. I must broadcast this hope and faith. We must convince the nation that choosing peace is choosing the future of our children and the revival of our people,” he said.

Mozes also remembered Rabin as a soldier and leader who took responsibility, paying with his life. Reflecting on a failed rescue attempt, he said he saw Rabin assume responsibility on camera. “He was an honest man and a brave leader, and I know that if Yitzhak Rabin were prime minister today, no one would be left behind. He would not have given up on us, the captives, for two years. He would not have turned a blind eye until everyone returned home, including the fallen.”

Eisenkot reportedly began by speaking to those who felt the memorial might not be for them. “Your place is here with us,” he affirmed. He described Rabin as “a true man of security,” whose leadership balanced strength with political engagement. Drawing parallels between Rabin’s time and today, Eisenkot noted that Rabin was called upon to replace the failed government of 1973, a moment when leaders took responsibility both in words and actions. He concluded by urging renewed national solidarity, a state inquiry, and the implementation of equal conscription laws.

Golan said the three shots continue to reverberate, now mirrored in a government he charged with turning against its people.

Livni said the three bullets 30 years ago aimed to kill democracy, and she warned that today’s threats come through extreme laws and a politicized justice system. She urged rejecting calls for victory by force alone, noting that saving hostages and seeking a political settlement are not mutually exclusive.

According to Ynet, Organizers of the "Returning to the Square" movement warned that, 30 years after Rabin’s assassination and two years after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, incitement and division are rising again. They called on Israelis to return to the square and stay united in hope and reconciliation.

On Sunday, Rabin’s final speech was displayed on large screens around Ibn Gvirol and at Rabin Square, three days before the Nov. 4 anniversary.