Yitzhak Rabin, Statement to the Knesset on the Hebron Massacre, 28 February 1994

Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Honored Knesset,

This House has known difficult hours and wondrous days. This House has escorted the State of Israel through its birth pangs, wars of existence and dreams of peace.

As Prime Minister and Defense Minister, I have stood on this rostrum scores of times - sometimes I have brought bitter tidings, and sometimes good ones.

Today, I stand before you, members of the Knesset, and before the citizens of the State of Israel - and in front of the entire world - and, as a Jew, as an Israeli, as a man and as a human being, I am shamed over the disgrace imposed upon us by a degenerate murderer.

Members of Knesset,

Maybe more than any other nation in the world today, Israel is fighting for its life in a bloody struggle which has continued for generations. Arab terror plagues us. At times, we bury our dead and bite our lips - and continue onward. We fight and lose the best of our friends, civilians and soldiers. We preserve the memories of the fallen. And we continue onward, as we struggle, all the long while, over our image as a nation which gave the world the values of morality and culture.

It is not easy for a country engaged in an endless war to protect its humanity and its moral composure. Yet, even though there have been deviations and tragedies, we have acquired our good name in blood - the blood of members of the underground organizations [when the State was founded] and of IDF soldiers, whose lives ended facing nursing mothers who concealed terrorists behind them, and enemy soldiers who raised their arms in surrender while concealing hand-grenades which they later used. We are fighters. Without any choice, we also kill those who have come to kill us. We are not murderers.

This is the time and place to thank the tens of thousands of IDF soldiers, members of the security service, and officers of the Israel Police and of the Border Police whose hard work is the insurance policy of the Jewish people. Our heartfelt thanks to them.

Members of Knesset,

On Friday, 23 February, during the early morning hours, a tragedy befell the families of the murdered, the residents of Hebron, the Palestinian people, the State of Israel and the Jewish people. In the city where the common father of Israel and Ishmael lived, in a city which has known both co-existence and the tragedy of rioting against the Jews, in Hebron, a Jew desecrated the holiness of the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

At a time when hundreds of Moslem believers prayed to their god, in the middle of the Ramadan feast, a villainous Jew opened fire and killed scores of Moslem worshippers and injured scores more. Even now, we do not know the exact number of those killed and injured - but we do know this: the tragedy is great and the disaster weighs heavily upon us.

The Government of Israel - and, I believe and hope, the entire Knesset - sends its most sincere condolences to the families whose loved ones were murdered in cold blood, and wishes a complete recovery to the injured.

Members of Knesset,

Even before the Government decided to establish an official commission of inquiry, we began our own investigation, which is now in progress. No stone will be left unturned in our search for the truth. We can already determine with virtual certainty that:

The wicked murderer acted alone, and had no partners in the shooting at the Tomb of the Patriarchs. As far as we know, at this stage, the murderer managed to fire at least 111 bullets from his weapon at innocent worshippers - who were beseeching their God, and did not notice the villain who ambushed them.

During the riots which ensued after the massacre, in several places throughout the territories, IDF soldiers were called upon, a few times, to defend themselves against danger, and were forced to fire. A number of people were killed and wounded in this shooting. The investigation of this matter is in progress and we will release its precise findings upon its conclusion. We will hide nothing. At the same time, all attempts to present IDF soldiers as accomplices in the massacre are baseless.

Was it possible to have prevented this massacre? We live in a difficult reality where Jews and Arabs are mixed together, rubbing shoulders daily and hourly. Thousands of Jews and Arabs live together in a single environment: in hothouses, markets, fields and orchards, on buses and in taxicabs, in coffee-houses and restaurants, at construction sites and in factories. And at the Tomb of the Patriarchs. In this place that is sacred to the two religions, Jews and Arabs have both prayed since 1967.

We are destined to live together, Arabs and Jews, in Israel and in the territories - and fanatics of both parties cannot be absolutely prevented from exploiting this reality to stage an attack. The truth must be told at this time. We Israelis have suffered more, much more, from terrorist attacks. But we also recognize the pain of the Palestinians; all human agony, all suffering, is near to our hearts.

Members of Knesset,

This is a difficult hour for citizens of the State of Israel, for the Jewish people, for anyone within whom a human heart beats true. This despicable act is so foreign to us, so un-Jewish and so terrible that the words of the "Book of Books" - which we gave to all the world's cultures and people - are appropriate: "Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence their kinship. Let my soul not come into their council; let my honor not be united in their assembly - for they killed men in their anger and they uprooted a fortress by their resolve. Let their rage be cursed for it was fierce, and their wrath for it was cruel; I will divide them among Jacob and scatter them among Israel."

Members of Knesset,

The horrible man from Hebron has disgraced all of us, although it is not our fault. It is possible that the degenerate who pulled the murderous trigger was not crazy in the clinical sense, but the terrible act was that of someone mentally ill, and in our heart we have only deep contempt for his villainous act.

This murderer came out of a small and marginal political context. He grew in a swamp whose murderous sources are found here, and across the sea; they are foreign to Judaism, they are not ours.

To him and to those like him we say: You are not part of the community of Israel. You are not part of the national democratic camp to which we in this house all belong, and many of the people despise you. Your are not partners in the Zionist enterprise. You are a foreign implant. You are an errant weed. Sensible Judaism spits you out. You placed yourself outside the wall of Jewish Law. You are a shame on Zionism and an embarrassment to Judaism.

A single, straight line connects the lunatics and racists of the entire world. A single line of blood and terrorism runs from the Islamic Jihad member who shot Jewish worshippers who stood in prayer in the synagogues of Istanbul, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome, to the Jewish Hamas member who shot Ramadan worshippers.

Yesterday, the Government made the following decision:

A. "To establish, given the extraordinary circumstances involved, a commission

of inquiry, in accordance with the Commissions of Inquiry Law, 5729/1968, regarding the massacre at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron on 23.2,94. B. After hearing the report of security elements, and after having been presented

with the opinion of the Attorney General, to take the following series of measures on an individual basis against radical elements among the Israeli residents in Judea and Samaria, as follows:

1 . The imposition of administrative detentions.

2. The extension of restraining and supervisory orders against the entry of certain persons into the Judea, Samaria and Hebron areas.

3. The revocation of certain persons' permits to carry weapons and the disarming of these persons.

C. To charge the Attorney General with the task of exploring and proposing options for the outlawing of the Kach and Kahane Hai organizations.

D. To record the statement of the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense on the release of about 800 Palestinian detainees and prisoners. The intent is to release up to 1,000 detainees and prisoners within the coming week.

E. The Tomb of the Patriarchs will be opened only after new arrangements for security and prayer have been determined."

Members of Knesset,

We are proud of our democracy; there are few like it in the world. Every citizen of Israel has the right to express his opinion in a democratic way, to oppose or to support the Government's policy. There are those who claim that the democratic system is weaker than other systems of government in the world. I say to them that democracy must know how to defend itself and its principles. This we will do.

We will not allow anyone in the State of Israel, or in the territories under its control, no matter who he may be or what position he holds, to determine or change the policy of the Government, any government, by the blackmail of the trigger, and false messianic claims. No political movement, secular or religious, no pressure group, will dare raise its hand against democracy here. We, as a government, will stand like a wall, and will vigorously employ all legal means, even if is required, force, to resist any such attempt.

Members of Knesset,

We know today that the murderer from Hebron shot innocent people, but he also intended to kill the peace. His objective was political.

To all those who still have doubts regarding the State of Israel's commitment to peace, I say, in a loud, clear voice: Do not be mistaken, we will continue making peace, on the basis of the Declaration of Principles which was signed in Washington, and the Cairo Agreement. We will accelerate the talks and the contacts and the negotiations. Even if it tarries, peace will come.

However, I must clarify to our Palestinian partners at the negotiation table: The abominable murder in Hebron and the feeling of loss and sorrow will not change our fundamental positions regarding the security of the State of Israel and its citizens, including the Jewish settlers in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. We have no intention of compromising even one iota on the security matters which touch each and every one of us. Our security is also your security, and the basic guarantee of the success of peace. I say to you today: No knife, no Molotov cocktail, no stone, will move us from our principles of security. We will continue to pursue those who carry out acts of terror and will give them no rest.

I have one more thing to add to the Palestinians, our partners around the discussion table in Taba, Paris, Cairo and Washington:

We understand the sorrow in your heart and share your pain over this terrible tragedy. We identify with the heavy sorrow, grief and tears, and know that even when peace comes, we and you will bear the scars which came from the wars.

We invite you to return to the discussion table. Come to the talks. We will continue the negotiations. After the blood, after the tears, 'he near future may contain what we have wanted and dreamt of for so long: to put an end to a hundred years of war and terrorism; to begin to be, to begin to live, like all nations.

We are nearing the conclusion of the next stage in the negotiations for peace. We can already see the finish line. A little more effort, a little more readiness, a little more goodwill from you, the Palestinians, and from us - and we will be victorious. We will bring peace to our homes and to our children; ours and yours. There is no other path, only that of peace. There is nothing without it.

I would like to say several things to the Arabs of Israel:

For a generation you have been part of us, in good and bad times. You were with us for dozens of years, in hours difficult for you and for us. Despite the difficulties, you have been loyal partners. We have succeeded in achieving coexistence and we want to continue it. We understand your pain in this hour, but we believe that isolated moments of crisis cannot be allowed to influence the hours of greatness which await us.

We will not permit crises, difficult as they may be, to destroy the fabric of relations which has existed between us for dozens of years.

Members of Knesset,

In my worst dreams I never thought that I should be standing here today in such difficult circumstances. I want to hope and believe that this nightmare will pass, but not before everyone, on both sides of the border, understand, that there is hope for a resolution to this never-ending blood feud: peace.

I believe and hope that in condemning the crime and in offering the unanimous condolences of this entire House, and also by affirming the aspiration for peace, we will achieve peace, even if there are disagreements between us over the path to follow.

I will conclude with Bialik's words: "The pain is very great, And the shame is very great, Which of the two is greater? Say you, O man."

SOURCE: https://www.gov.il/en/Departments/General/168-statement-in-the-knesset-by-prime-minister-rabin-on-the-hebron-murders-28-feb-1994