Israelis Demonstrate Against Gov’t in Tel Aviv, Call for Solution to Conflict

But the focus of the prime minister’s speech, his second on Monday honoring Rabin, focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that his predecessor sought to end.

“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.

“It will further deteriorate if we think that being passive is the answer”, he said.

The demonstrators chanted “Jews and Arabs don’t want to hate each other” and “Israel, Palestine, two states for two peoples” as they came together amid a new upswing in violence which makes prospects for peace in the decades-old conflict look deeply gloomy.

Arab members of the Knesset walked out of the plenum in response to Netanyahu’s remarks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stand in front of the grave of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin during the official memorial ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of his assassination in the Mt. Herzl Cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel, Monday, October 26, 2015.

The recent spate of violence includes nearly daily attacks by Palestinians and violent clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian youth protesters. Will we forever live by the sword?

“Rabin understood this well. He was a realistic leader, he didn’t blame ourselves for terrorism, he was utterly devoid of self-flagellation”, he continued.

“Terrorism stems from the refusal to recognize the national state of the Jewish people in any borders”.

But opposition Labour party chief Isaac Hertzog took to the podium to fiercly criticise Netanyahu for his policies “which have had no visible success in 10 years”. “There’s no Rabin, Mr. Prime Minister”. This is the unsafe development in Israeli society 20 years after the murder.It is up to us to learn a lesson from the murder. In the period of your tenure Jerusalem has been divided, but not by [former president and defense minister Shimon] Peres and not by Rabin.

Recalling the assassination of the late prime minister 20 years ago, President Rivlin said: “The three shots that the murderer fired, into Yitzhak’s back, did not strike just him, but tore a hole in the heart of, and left a black stain upon, Israel’s democracy”.