Obama to Send Video to Rabin Memorial

David Streeter — October 29, 2009 – 1:30 pm | Barack Obama | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

President Barack Obama will send a video to the memorial service for murdered Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Today marks the 14th anniversary of his assassination over signing the Oslo Accords. Obama’s message in support of Rabin’s peacemaking legacy comes as he attempts to restart negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Ha’Aretz also reports that Obama will tell Israelis that “the alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable,” which is fitting given Rabin’s prominent role in cementing the strategic elements of the relationship in 1970. 

Rabin, who was Israel’s first native born Prime Minister and regarded by many as the hero of the 1967 War, served as Israel’s Ambassador to the United States from 1968-73, its Prime Minister from 1974-77, and as its Defense Minister from 1984-90. However, Rabin is remembered most for his contributions to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process during his second tenure as Prime Minister from 1992 until his murder in 1995.

President Bill Clinton delivered a stirring eulogy at Rabin’s funeral. It concludes: “Shalom haver.”

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