From behind bulletproof glass leaders of Israel stood in Rabin Square to commemorate the life and mourn the death of Yitzhak Rabin, General, Politician, warrior for peace.
From behind the bulletproof glass the President of the State of Israel Rubin Rivlin said beautiful words about ending hatred and strengthening the democracy of the state.
From behind the bulletproof glass the President of the State of Israel said to the extremists; “We do not fear you”.
From behind the bulletproof glass President Bill Clinton reminisced about his friend Yitzhak Rabin and the threat to a Jewish and democratic country clinging on to the West Bank.
From behind the bulletproof glass Clinton told Israelis to lead the way in moving forward on the road to a better world.
From behind the bulletproof glass the grandson of Yitzhak Rabin urged Israel forward saying that 20 years has already gone and the number of settlers rises, if we don’t make a change the demography will overwhelm the Jewish nature of our state. That this is a simple fact, neither right wing nor left. He said.
President Barack Obama, from behind a sea and an ocean, told 100,000 people in Rabin Sq and far more watching at home that the dream of peace that Rabin was killed for will never die.
From behind the bulletproof glass the leaders gave the people the message.
I’m not sure what it was. The word peace was used. There were exhortations on the people to lead the way. But the people can’t lead anything. That’s what leaders are for. And the leaders aren’t leading us anywhere except towards the very situation they were warning us against.
No one here has any answers. They just fought an election that was a choice of personalities not policies.
Now we have Netanyahu. Still we have Netanyahu. He said it is impossible to have a Palestinian state at this time.
He is not behind the bulletproof glass.
The vision of peace that was Yitzhak Rabin’s gift to the people of Israel is in tatters. The legacy left by his assassin thrives in front of the bulletproof glass.
Gene adds: A reminder once again that Israel is a much more interesting and complicated place than many of its most ardent supporters or worst enemies acknowledge:
Two girls at Rabin memorial rally, Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/D3tyB9aFDq
— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) October 31, 2015
