Stand At Attention In Memory Of The Murderer

This week will be the anniversary of Yitzchak Rabin's death. Traditionally, this week has become a Right-bashing free-for-all in which the Left blames the Right for murdering Rabin and a long list of other complaints.

The following article was translated from Moshe Feiglin's book, "The War of Dreams."

24 Adar 5761
March 19, '01

One of the "undeniable proofs" that Margalit Har Shefi knew about Yigal Amir's plan to assassinate the Prime Minister was the fact that she refused to stand at attention during the siren in Rabin's memory.

If Netanyahu had been assassinated by a Leftist, everybody would be shocked, but the very foundations of the earth would not have quaked as they did when Rabin was assassinated. Why not? Because Netanyahu is not a member of Israel's "Blue Blood" Society. Rabin's murder was much more than an ordinary murder and much more than a blow to democracy. It was the rabble's rude invasion into the kingdom of the elite.

Now Margalit Har Shefi is imprisoned. She is one of the rabble, a friend of the murderer, and she is not willing to stand at attention! Heaven help us! The rabble is an insidious threat! But we will show them who is boss. Margalit's fate was sealed. The more that she appealed, the less were her chances of acquittal. The higher the court, the bluer the blood.

I had the honor of being pursued for the same "crime" by the same blue-bloods. I was charged with sedition because I led illegal massive protests against Oslo. But the charge sheet included an accusation that didn't seem relevant to the other charges against me. The State prosecution took the trouble to write that the defendant called the Prime Minister a "murderer."

Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon were called "murderer" day and night. A number of the leftist protesters who used that term went on to become ministers and Knesset members. I, however, did not call Yitzchak Rabin a murderer. The prosecution simply wanted to entangle me in a saga of denial and apology.

I represented myself at the trial. When it was my turn to address the allegation in the charge sheet, I turned to the three judges and said: "I never called Yitzchak Rabin a murderer. But since the prosecution insists on accusing me of doing so, I hereby announce that Yitzchak Rabin was a murderer. If the State prosecution opposes this statement, I intend to bring witnesses to prove my allegation."

Yes, I certainly do have chilling proof that Yitzchak Rabin was a murderer. When Rabin was Israel's ambassador in Washington, the embassy held an Israel Independence Day celebration. Each of the guests was asked to recall a memorable event that he had experienced. Of all his experiences, Yitzchak Rabin chose the story of how he had personally shot the Jews -- some of them Holocaust refugees -- who had jumped overboard the burning Altalena. "We shot them on the ship and we shot them while they swam in the water," Rabin bragged to the embarrassed guests.

(In the photo: The Altalena burns off the shore of Tel Aviv, 1948.)

I wanted to bring some of those guests to testify in court, but it was unnecessary. The three judges simultaneously looked at the representative of the State to see how he would deal with the challenge with which I had confronted him. Will the official representative of the State of Israel accept the statement that Yitzchak Rabin was indeed a murderer? And if he does not accept it, what will we do? After all, we cannot prevent this impertinent defendant from bringing witnesses to the court and his trial will turn into Rabin's trial!

The prosecutor kept his eyes on the floor. He did not take issue with the statement that Rabin was a murderer. That was the smart thing for him to do.

And you, Margalit, must be proud that you did not join the brainless rabble that stood at attention in memory of that murderer.

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