Amidst the ongoing uncertainty over the formation of a unity governing coalition in the Knesset, ceremonies were held Sunday to commemorate the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Members of Rabin’s family, as well as Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and other leaders of Leftist parties, used part of the time given to their remarks at these ceremonies to accuse incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fueling the kind of incitement which led to Rabin’s assassination, prompting Netanyahu to use his own remarks to defend himself. The exchanges at the Knesset ceremony came despite a clear warning at the outset from Speaker Yuli Edelstein to desist from such expressions as well as similar pleas from President Reuven Rivlin in recent days.
In related news, a clash broke out on Sunday evening between police and demonstrators at the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar, prompted by the police arresting a resident who had violated an administrative order issued to him earlier by the security forces. The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement regarding the incident, calling for “the law to be respected and for an immediate halt to violence against the security forces. IDF soldiers and Border Police forces, which guard us all, must be allowed to carry out their work. Violations of the law will not be tolerated.”
This article originally appeared on ICEJ’s website and reposted with permission.