Ab-Titchaz
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- Jan 30, 2008
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TV interview with Rabin assassin shakes Israel
FP/File In a file picture dated November 2007, Yigal Amir, the convicted assassin of late Israeli prime minister
JERUSALEM (AFP) Israelis from across the political spectrum on Friday slammed a decision to air the first-ever television interview with the extremist Jew who assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The interview comes on the eve of the 13th anniversary of Yigal Amir's assassination of Rabin at a Tel Aviv rally on November 4, 1995, which aimed to torpedo the Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians.
The decision to air the interview hit a raw nerve in the Jewish state, which remains deeply divided over the Middle East peace process that has made little progress since the collapse of the Oslo talks in 2000.
Amir, 43, who is serving a life sentence, was able to speak on the phone to reporters from the privately-run Channel 2 and Channel 10 without the prison service's knowledge in recent weeks.
Following the uproar, Channel 2 announced it cancelled its plans to broadcast the interview, according to local media. Channel 10 was still set to air the comments on Friday evening.
Amir told Channel 10 his act was influenced by the rhetoric of right-wing politicians and generals, including former prime minister Ariel Sharon and former army chief of staff Rafael Eitan, whom he said made it clear the 1993 Oslo agreement "would lead to disaster."
Amir has never expressed any remorse for the killing.
[media]http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081031/wl_mideast_afp/mideastisraelmediarabinassassin[/media]
