President Isaac Herzog called for the assassin of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, Yigal Amir, to spend the rest of his life in prison without any possibility of pardon or a reduced sentence, warning on Thursday that growing tolerance of political violence threatens Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state.
Speaking at a memorial ceremony marking 31 years since Rabin's assassination, Herzog condemned public calls for Amir's release and warned against the continued incitement and threats directed at elected officials in Israel.
"Thirty-one years do not constitute a cooling-off period for the murder of a prime minister. The passage of time does not diminish the severity of the crime," Herzog said.
"The national imperative that must be passed from our generation to those that follow is clear and unequivocal: The murderer must never be released. He must spend the rest of his life in prison. He must never receive any reduction of his sentence or any form of pardon. This must not be challenged under any circumstances."
Herzog described his shock at encountering a billboard calling for Amir's release while driving on Highway 1 between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, saying the public must not dismiss such messages as ordinary political provocation.
"The very possibility that such a call could appear in a public space and be met with a shrug of indifference should keep us awake at night. We must not dismiss it as just another provocation," he said.
The president warned that calls to release Amir reflected the danger of Israeli society gradually losing its absolute rejection of political assassination.
His remarks come amid renewed controversy over public campaigns advocating Amir's release. In August, an activist was hospitalized after an altercation while removing a sign calling for Amir's freedom, highlighting the tensions surrounding the issue.
Herzog warns political violence threatens Israeli democracy
Herzog said Rabin's assassination was not simply the murder of a political leader but an attempt to overturn democratic decision-making through violence.
"The despicable murderer did not aim his weapon at Yitzhak Rabin alone. He aimed it at the heart of the nation," he said.
"The murderer of the prime minister sought to place his weapon above the will of the people, to resolve a disagreement through violence, through murder, threatening our very existence here as a Jewish, democratic, and sovereign state."
Herzog emphasized that the assassination represented a threat to Israel's democratic institutions and that the lessons of the murder remained relevant more than three decades later.
"He murdered our beloved Yitzhak Rabin. We lost our leader. And we came perilously close to losing ourselves," he said.
The president also criticized the continued circulation of threats against politicians and other elected officials, including on social media.
"Thirty-one years after that horrific assassination, there are still people in the State of Israel who dare to utter, or type on their keyboards, appalling threats to murder elected officials, whoever they may be," Herzog said.
"Others settle for 'merely' inciting political violence against their opponents."
He called for an unequivocal rejection of violence across the political spectrum, arguing that its normalization could endanger the state itself.
"There is no place for political violence in a properly functioning state. There is no place for violence, period."
Thirty-one years since Rabin's assassination
Rabin was assassinated on November 4, 1995, after addressing a peace rally in Tel Aviv's Kings of Israel Square, subsequently renamed Rabin Square.
The Jewish calendar date of the assassination is Heshvan 12, which this year falls on Thursday, October 22, and Friday, October 23.
Amir, a Jewish extremist who opposed the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians, shot Rabin as he was leaving the rally. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, along with additional prison time for related offenses.
The possibility of Amir's release has periodically resurfaced in Israeli public discourse. In 2023, right-wing commentator Ari Shamai publicly called for Amir to be freed, sparking controversy and prompting Channel 14 to announce that he would no longer appear on its broadcasts.
"Three bullets. Three bullets fired 31 years ago sought to destroy the State of Israel, the Third Temple," Herzog said.
Concluding his address, Herzog said the memory of Rabin's murder must serve not only as a tribute to the former prime minister but also as a continuing warning against political extremism.
"The candle we light here is a memorial candle for prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, a great leader who loved his people and was murdered by a criminal," he said.
"But it must also serve as a warning light. A warning drawn from that terrible tragedy, a warning that echoes the lesson that must remain before us and be passed down from generation to generation."
Addressing the Rabin family, Herzog said the passage of 31 years had done little to diminish the national trauma or the sense of loss.
"Even after 31 years, the shock has not subsided. But 31 years have done nothing to ease the longing," he said.
"Yitzhak will forever remain in our hearts."