One in three Israelis willing to see Rabin killer pardoned

[tocqueville]

1 hour, 20 minutes ago

JERUSALEM (AFP) - One Israeli in three is willing to see the convicted killer of Nobel prize winning prime minister Yitzhak Rabin pardoned, 11 years after he was jailed for life, an opinion poll has revealed.

An identical survey carried out a year ago on the 10th anniversary of Rabin's assassination showed that only one Israeli in five was prepared to see the 36-year-old extremist Yigal Amir pardoned.

Asked whether they believed another political assassination possible in Israel, 69 percent of respondents to Friday's poll, which was published in the leading Hebrew daily, Yediot Aharonot, said yes.

Amir was Tuesday allowed his first conjugal visit with the divorced mother-of-four whom he married, aimed at conceiving a child.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061027/wl_mideast_afp/israelrabinjustice_061027100833

[Kagemusha]

1. Um... why? Is he sorry for what he did?

I imagine no.

[tocqueville]

2. something is "deadly" wrong here

I can't imagine that 33% of Americans would have accepted the pardon of the assassins of Kennedy (supposing he had been convicted and sat in jail) or Martin L King.

One thing is that a life sentence (30 years in Europe) is not reconducted if the person seems to be harmless and repentant, or in longer cases shortened due to old age, sickness or similar (clemency).

but pardon ? pardon means "the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it. It is granted by a sovereign power, such as a monarch or chief of state or a competent church authority".

can you forgive somebody who killed a peacebroker ? Philosphically/religiously yes, but hardly as an institution.

Does that mean that about a third of the Israeli think that after all it wasn't such a "bad" thing Rabbin was murdered ?

[Poll_Blind]

4. In Dec. 2001, with fear growing that sympathy for Amir's actions would....

...one day set him free, the Knesset passed the "Yigal Amir" bill, specifically preventing a pardon of a PM assassin. Because of the Oslo accords there was a great deal of anger at Rabin by settlers and other right-wing Orthodox "Greater Israel" Zionists.

In Israel, there is a portion of the left who look at the Rabin assassination in the same way that dubious Americans look at the Kennedy assassination. The ability for a man to just walk right up to an Israeli Prime Minister and shoot him with a handgun is something that would raise anyone's eyebrows given the ongoing security situation in Israel. There was talk of cooperation within Shabak to let this happen.

I remember reading a piece in Ha'Aretz (IIRC) full of outrage that the Rabbis who egged Amir (and other settlers) on weren't charged at least with incitement. The piece may be there, still, maybe not. It was pretty damning. I don't remember the individual Rabbis (I think there were 3) but, generally, think Yesha Rabbinical Council-type folks. In certain parts of Israel, especially the territories, there are Rabbis who have no hesitation about stripping the Jewishness from political or ideological opponents in their sermons and then labeling them as traitors, enemies of all Jews. The ultra-orthodox live in such insular communities they have very little contact with the starburst of conflicting ideas which make up Israeli culture and they provide a sort of feedback loop to enhance these extremely violent ideologies. The Israeli government disproportionally gives more money to orthodox institutions as well as settlers so these guys remain handsomely-funded and, mostly, unmolested by reality.

Not all orthodox Jews see the world like this, it's worth pointing out. Lately I've become more aware of the assumption of broad-brushing even when it's not intended. But within that community, because of the extremely strict lifestyle and adherence to the Rabbis who interpret for that group, Rabbis who don't mind invoking din moser or din rodef have an audience who is receptive and trained not to question it.

PB

[Poll_Blind]

5. This article seems to do a pretty decent job showing the....

...various interpretations of Halakha and the disagreements that arise because different rabbis disagree. It also touches on the Rabin assassination, and how the killer indicated that he had permission, but refused to name the rabbi(s) who gave it.

Dangerous Halakah

PB

[Scurrilous]

3. Rabin's grandson: Appalled by support for Amir pardon

<snip>

"Yonatan Ben-Artzi, Yitzhak Rabin's grandson, told Ynet that he has difficulty believing the poll data indicating that 30 percent of Israelis support a future pardoning of his grandfather's assassin. "If the results turn out to be accurate it's simply appalling," he said.

Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit said that the pardoning system does not conduct its affairs according to polls and added: "The murderer should rot in jail for the rest of his life."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3320314,00.html