"We cannot forget for one minute that, whether supporting or opposing the way, we are all brothers, all Jews and share the same fate," Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said Monday at a General Staff forum commemorating the 10th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, at the Rabin Center in Tel Aviv.
After the disengagement, one of the hardest missions the army had ever been charged with by the government, it was time to seek strength in unification, Halutz said. Now was the time to pursue all those who had crossed the lines between freedom of speech and incitement, he said.
"Democracy is the basis of life we share as one people," he said. "Ten years ago, prime minister and defense minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. The story of Rabin's life is the story of the State of Israel, the story of an uncompromising battle against the enemy and the building of a free and peace-seeking society," said Halutz.
Halutz warned that the lessons of Rabin's murder had yet to be learned. "Once again, the people are confronted with a fiery political debate. Again, we hear harsh and threatening words, we witness outbursts of anger. The lines are blurred, and once again verbal and physical violence is directed at the leadership, members of the Knesset and government, soldiers and commanders," said Halutz.
Now was the time to be vigilant and alert and to uproot all attempts to "cross the lines," he added.
Halutz planted a tree in Rabin's memory at the end of the memorial gathering.
