Rabin Remembered

Tonight, 150,000 people went to a Tel Aviv rally marking twelve years since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin:

"The annual rally is held in Rabin Square, where the prime minister was gunned down by ultra-nationalist Yigal Amir after a large peace demonstration on November 4, 1995...

"The rally also included performances by leading Israeli singers, such as Aviv Gefen, Rami Kleinstein, and Sarit Hadad.

"Hundreds of police officers, paramedics, and firefighting personnel were deployed for the event. As of 4 P.M. Saturday, police closed off all major streets in the area around the square.

"Israel officially marked the 12th anniversary of Rabin's slaying last week, according to the Hebrew calendar. But the rally in Tel Aviv has become an annual pilgrimage for ordinary Israelis to show respect for the beloved leader."

The article also mentions the "Free Amir" movement on the Israeli right. I've talked to people in Jerusalem who are convinced Amir was a fall guy for a deeper conspiracy, possibly involving Shin Bet, which is apparently supposed to make us all feel sorry for the guy. It's actually been one of a number of Jerusalem rumors which have brought home to me the fact that while conspiracy theories in the Arab world get more press in the United States, some Israelis can put together plenty of their own.