On this very day, November 4, in 1995, Israel's then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. He was shot after attending a peace rally at Kings Square in Tel Aviv, Israel. Later, Rabin passed away during surgery at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.
The 73-year-old Prime Minister was heading towards his car when a 27-year-old Jewish student, a law student named Yigal Amir, shot him in the hand and back. Amir was linked to the right-wing Jewish group, Eyal. Israeli police arrested him at the scene, and he later confessed to the killing.
Key Events Behind the Assassination
When the trial over the Prime Minister's murder took place, the accused student confessed. He claimed that he assassinated Rabin because, in his view, the Prime Minister intended to surrender their land to the Arabs. Rabin, born in Jerusalem, was a leader during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and served as the Chief-of-Staff of Israel's armed forces during the Six-Day War in 1967.
Twice Prime Minister of Israel
After serving as Israel's ambassador to the United States, Rabin joined the Labor Party and became Prime Minister in 1974. As Prime Minister, he led negotiations resulting in a cease-fire with Syria in 1974 and a military disengagement agreement with Egypt in 1975.
Resignation Amid Scandal
In 1977, Rabin resigned from his Prime Ministerial position due to a scandal involving holding illegal bank accounts in the United States, violating Israeli law. From 1984 to 1990, he served as his country's Defense Minister. In 1992, Rabin led the Labor Party to election victory, once again becoming Israel’s Prime Minister.
Nobel Peace Prize Recognition
In 1993, he signed the historic Israeli-Palestinian Principles Declaration with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and established a formal peace accord with the Palestinians in 1994. In October 1994, Rabin and Arafat, alongside Israel’s Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, collectively received the Nobel Peace Prize. A year later, Rabin was assassinated, and Peres succeeded him as Prime Minister.
Significant Historical Events on November 4
On November 4, 1862, American inventor Richard Jordan Gatling patented the hand-cranked Gatling machine gun in Indianapolis.
On November 4, 1879, African American inventor Thomas Elkins patented refrigeration equipment.
On November 4, 1979, Iranian terrorists assaulted the United States Embassy in Tehran, holding about seventy Americans hostage.
Former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd on November 4, 1822.
Renowned mathematician Shakuntala Devi was born on November 4, 1936.
On November 4, 1947, Major Somnath Sharma was awarded the first Param Vir Chakra for his valor in Kashmir's Budgam.
