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| conviction_status = [[Convict|Prisoner]]
| conviction_status = [[Convict|Prisoner]]
| occupation =
| occupation =
| spouse = [[Larisa Trembovler]]
| spouse = [[Larisa Trembobler]]
| parents = Shlomo and Geula Amir
| parents = Shlomo and Geula Amir
| children = Yinon Amir
| children = Yinon Amir
| religion = Judaism
| religion = Judaism
}}
}}
'''Yigal Amir''' ({{lang-he|יגאל עמיר}}, born May 23, 1970) is the [[Israeli Jews|Israel]]i [[assassination|assassin]] of [[Prime Minister of Israel]] [[Yitzhak Rabin]]. The assassination took place November 4, 1995 at the conclusion of a [[Demonstration (people)|rally]] in [[Tel Aviv]]. Amir is currently serving a [[life sentence]] for [[murder]] plus 14 years for [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy to murder]] Rabin on different occasions and for injuring Rabin's [[bodyguard]], Yoram Rubin, under [[Aggravation (legal concept)|aggravating]] circumstances.
'''Yigal Amir''' ({{lang-he|יגאל עמיר}}, born May 23, 1970) is the [[Israeli Jews|Israel]]i [[assassination|assassin]] of [[Prime Minister of Israel]] [[Yitzhak Rabin]]. The assassination took place November 4, 1995 at the conclusion of a [[Demonstration (people)|rally]] in [[Tel Aviv]]. Amir is currently serving a [[life sentence]] for [[murder]] plus six years for injuring Rabin's [[bodyguard]], Yoram Rubin, under [[Aggravation (legal concept)|aggravating]] circumstances.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/this-week-in-haaretz-1996-rabin-s-assassin-gets-life-in-prison-1.353211 Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, [[Haaretz]]]</ref>He was later sentenced to an additional 8 years for conspiracy to murder.


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Yigal Amir was born to an [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jewish]] family in [[Herzliya]], [[Israel]]. His mother, Geula, was a kindergarten teacher, and his father, Shlomo, was a [[sofer]]. Yigal Amir attended a [[Haredi Judaism|Haredi]] elementary school in Herzliya and a high school [[yeshiva]] in [[Tel Aviv]]. He then joined the [[Israel Defense Forces]] as a ''[[Hesder]]'' student, combining army training in the [[Golani Brigade]] with religious study at ''[[Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh]]''.
Yigal Amir was born to an [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jewish]] family in [[Herzliya]], [[Israel]]. His mother, Geula, was a kindergarten teacher, and his father, Shlomo, was a [[sofer]]. Yigal Amir attended a [[Haredi Judaism|Haredi]] elementary school in Herzliya and a high school [[yeshiva]] in [[Tel Aviv]]. He then joined the [[Israel Defense Forces]] as a ''[[Hesder]]'' student, combining army training in the [[Golani Brigade]] with religious study at ''[[Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh]]''.


Amir was a [[law]] and [[computer science]] student<ref>{{cite news | first = Alan | last = Cowell | authorlink = Alan Cowell | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/10/world/assassination-israel-inquiry-2-more-held-rabin-slaying-israeli-police-see.html?pagewanted=2 | title= ASSASSINATION IN ISRAEL: THE INQUIRY; 2 More Held in Rabin Slaying; Israeli Police See a Conspiracy | date = November 10, 1995 | accessdate = April 26, 2009 | work = [[The New York Times]]| quote = He was a law and computer science student at Bar-Ilan University, as well as a seminary student.}}</ref> at [[Bar-Ilan University]] and a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] radical who had strenuously opposed Rabin's signing of the [[Oslo Accords]]. During his studies at Bar-Ilan University, he was active in organizing protest rallies.<ref>{{Cite news| first1 = Eitan | last1 = Rabin | first2 = Yossi | last2 = Hatuni |first3 = Reuven | last3 = Shapira | first4 = Yossi | last4 = Melman | authorlink4 = Yossi Melman| title = שמו של יגאל עמור הועבר לשב"כ כמה שבועות לפני רצח רבין (The name of Yigal Amir was forwarded to the GSS a few weeks before the murder of Yitzhak Rabin) |language = Hebrew | work = [[Haaretz]] | date = November 20, 1995 | accessdate= April 26, 2009 | quote = שמו של יגאל עמיר, רוצחו של ראש הממשלה יצחק רבין, הגיע לידיעת אנשי שירות הביטחון הכללי שבועות ספורים לפני רצח רבין. לשב"כ דווח כי עמיר פעיל בהפגנות של הימין הקיצוני. (The name of Yigal Amir, the murderer of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, became known to the people of the General Security Service a few weeks before the murder of Rabin. It was reported to the GSS that Amir is active in the organization of demonstrations of the extreme right.)}}</ref>
Amir was a [[law]] and [[computer science]] student<ref>{{cite news | first = Alan | last = Cowell | authorlink = Alan Cowell | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/10/world/assassination-israel-inquiry-2-more-held-rabin-slaying-israeli-police-see.html?pagewanted=2 | title= ASSASSINATION IN ISRAEL: THE INQUIRY; 2 More Held in Rabin Slaying; Israeli Police See a Conspiracy | date = November 10, 1995 | accessdate = April 26, 2009 | work = [[The New York Times]]| quote = He was a law and computer science student at Bar-Ilan University, as well as a seminary student.}}</ref> at [[Bar-Ilan University]] and a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] radical who had strenuously opposed Rabin's signing of the [[Oslo Accords]]. During his studies at Bar-Ilan University, he was active in organizing protest rallies.<ref>{{Cite news| first1 = Eitan | last1 = Rabin | first2 = Yossi | last2 = Hatuni |first3 = Reuven | last3 = Shapira | first4 = Yossi | last4 = Melman | authorlink4 = Yossi Melman| title = שמו של יגאל עמור הועבר לשב"כ כמה שבועות לפני רצח רבין (The name of Yigal Amir was forwarded to the GSS a few weeks before the murder of Yitzhak Rabin) |language = Hebrew | work = [[Haaretz]] | date = November 20, 1995 | accessdate= April 26, 2009 </ref>


During his years as an activist, Amir became friendly with [[Avishai Raviv]], to whom he revealed his plan to kill Rabin. While Raviv posed as a right-wing radical, he was working for the [[Shin Bet|Shabak]], the Israeli secret service. <ref>{{cite news | first = Ehud | last = Asheri | title = Fertile ground for a conspiracy | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/914588.html | date = October 25, 2007 | accessdate = April 29, 2009 | work = [[Haaretz]]</ref>
During his years as an activist, Amir became friendly with [[Avishai Raviv]], to whom he revealed his plan to kill Rabin. While Raviv posed as a right-wing radical, he was working for the [[Shin Bet|Shabak]], the Israeli secret service. <ref>{{cite news | first = Ehud | last = Asheri | title = Fertile ground for a conspiracy | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/914588.html | date = October 25, 2007 | accessdate = April 29, 2009 | work = [[Haaretz]]</ref>


While in prison, Amir became engaged to [[Larisa Trembovler]] after they exchanged letters and spoke on the phone. In January 2004, the [[Israel Prison Service]] refused to allow Amir to marry in jail, and this was upheld in April 2004 by a ruling of the [[Tel Aviv]] District Court. However, in August 2004, they held a proxy marriage, giving Amir's father "[[power of attorney]]" to transfer a wedding ring to the bride. In July 2005, their marriage was validated by a [[Beth din|Rabbinical court]], but not by the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. The prison administration issued a statement saying that its policy on "[[conjugal visits]]" would not change. In February 2006, Attorney General [[Menachem Mazuz]] ordered the Interior Ministry to register Amir and Larissa as a married couple in response to a petition filed by Larisa.
While in prison, Amir became engaged to [[Larisa Trembovler]] after they exchanged letters and spoke on the phone. In January 2004, the [[Israel Prison Service]] refused to allow Amir to marry in jail, and this was upheld in April 2004 by a ruling of the [[Tel Aviv]] District Court. However, in August 2004, they held a proxy marriage, giving Amir's father "[[power of attorney]]" to transfer a wedding ring to the bride. In July 2005, their marriage was validated by a [[Beth din|Rabbinical court]], but not by the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. The prison administration issued a statement saying that its policy on "[[conjugal visits]]" would not change. In February 2006, Attorney General [[Menachem Mazuz]] ordered the Interior Ministry to register them as a married couple.


In late August 2005, Amir applied to the prison authorities for permission to conceive a child through [[in vitro fertilisation]]. In March 2006, Amir was caught handing is wife a plastic bag with [[semen]].<ref>{{cite news | author = [[Associated Press]]| url = http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1139395571603&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull | title = Tapes catch Amir smuggling sperm | work = [[The Jerusalem Post]] | date = March 9, 2006 | accessdate = April 26, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Yigal Amir attempts to smuggle semen | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3225913,00.html |last = Senyor | first = Eli | work =[[Ynet]] | date = September 3, 2006 | accessdate = April 27, 2009 </ref> After the incident, a disciplinary tribunal denied him visits for 30 days and phone calls for 14 days. He was fined NIS 100 (then US$21). When the treatments were withheld due to a petition by several members of Knesset, Yigal Amir refused to eat. After being warned that [[hunger strikes]] are in violation of prison regulations, some of his privileges were canceled.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961238217&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull | title = Yigal Amir refused fertilization; refuses food | work = The Jerusalem Post </ref>Up until October 20, 2006 the [[Shin Bet|Shabak]] security service had opposed unsupervised visits.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/778758.html | title = Rabin killer Amir to begin conjugal visit | date = 2006-10-24 | accessdate = 2009-05-10 | first = Yuval | last = Yaoz | work = [[Haaretz]] | quote = Until recently, the Shin Bet security service has been opposed to allowing Amir unsupervised visits.}}</ref> Four days later, Amir was allowed a 10-hour-long [[conjugal visit]] with Larisa Amir. Five months later it was reported that Larisa was pregnant,<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/rabin-assassin-to-be-father/2007/03/13/1173722427027.html | title = Rabin assassin to be father | work = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] | accessdate = 2009-05-10 | quote = The wife of the jailed assassin of former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is pregnant, relatives said today, five months after the couple were first allowed to enjoy conjugal visits. | date = 2007-03-13 | agency = [[Agence France-Presse]]}}</ref> and on October 28, 2007 she gave birth to a son: Yinon Eliya Shalom. The [[brit milah]] took place in Rimonim prison on November 4, 2007 after Amir's appeal to the district court to be present at his son's circumcision was accepted.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/920208.html | title = Rabin assassin Yigal Amir's son circumcised in tent on prison grounds | work = [[Haaretz]] | first1 = Jonathan | last1 = Lis | first2 = Yigal | last2 = Hai| accessdate = 2009-05-10}}</ref>
In late August 2005, Amir applied to the prison authorities for permission to conceive a child through [[in vitro fertilisation]]. In March 2006, Amir was caught handing is wife a plastic bag with [[semen]].<ref>{{cite news | author = [[Associated Press]]| url = http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1139395571603&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull | title = Tapes catch Amir smuggling sperm | work = [[The Jerusalem Post]] | date = March 9, 2006 | accessdate = April 26, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Yigal Amir attempts to smuggle semen | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3225913,00.html |last = Senyor | first = Eli | work =[[Ynet]] | date = September 3, 2006 | accessdate = April 27, 2009 </ref> After the incident, a disciplinary tribunal denied him visits for 30 days and phone calls for 14 days. He was fined NIS 100 (then US$21). When the treatments were withheld due to a petition by several members of Knesset, Yigal Amir refused to eat. After being warned that [[hunger strikes]] are in violation of prison regulations, some of his privileges were canceled.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961238217&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull | title = Yigal Amir refused fertilization; refuses food | work = The Jerusalem Post </ref>Up until October 20, 2006 the [[Shin Bet|Shabak]] security service had opposed unsupervised visits.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/778758.html | title = Rabin killer Amir to begin conjugal visit | date = 2006-10-24 | accessdate = 2009-05-10 | first = Yuval | last = Yaoz | work = [[Haaretz]] | quote = Until recently, the Shin Bet security service has been opposed to allowing Amir unsupervised visits.}}</ref> Four days later, Amir was allowed a 10-hour-long [[conjugal visit]] with Larisa Amir. Five months later it was reported that Larisa was pregnant,<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/rabin-assassin-to-be-father/2007/03/13/1173722427027.html | title = Rabin assassin to be father | work = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] | accessdate = 2009-05-10 | quote = The wife of the jailed assassin of former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is pregnant, relatives said today, five months after the couple were first allowed to enjoy conjugal visits. | date = 2007-03-13 | agency = [[Agence France-Presse]]}}</ref> and on October 28, 2007 she gave birth to a son: Yinon Eliya Shalom. The [[brit milah]] took place in Rimonim prison on November 4, 2007 after Amir's appeal to the district court to be present at his son's circumcision was accepted.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/920208.html | title = Rabin assassin Yigal Amir's son circumcised in tent on prison grounds | work = [[Haaretz]] | first1 = Jonathan | last1 = Lis | first2 = Yigal | last2 = Hai| accessdate = 2009-05-10}}</ref>
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{{main|Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin}}
{{main|Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin}}


On November 4, 1995, after a demonstration in Tel Aviv's "[[Rabin Square|Kings of Israel Square]]" (now Rabin Square) in support of the Oslo Accords, Amir awaited Rabin in the parking lot adjacent the square, close to Rabin's official limousine. There he shot Rabin twice with a [[Beretta Cheetah|Beretta 84F]] [[.380 ACP]] caliber semi-automatic pistol and injured Yoram Rubin, a security guard, with a third shot. Amir was immediately seized by Rabin's bodyguards. Rabin was rushed to [[Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center]] where he died on an operating table 40 minutes later of blood loss and a punctured lung.
On November 4, 1995, after a demonstration in Tel Aviv's "[[Rabin Square|Kings of Israel Square]]" (now Rabin Square) in support of the Oslo Accords, Amir awaited Rabin in the parking lot adjacent the square, close to Rabin's official limousine. There he shot Rabin twice with a [[Beretta Cheetah|Beretta 84F]] [[.380 ACP]] caliber semi-automatic pistol and injured Yoram Rubin, a security guard, with a third shot. Amir was immediately seized by Rabin's bodyguards. Rabin was rushed to [[Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center]] where he died on an operating table 40 minutes later of blood loss and a punctured lung. According to the court, Yigal Amir's brother, [[Hagai Amir|Hagai]], and his friend [[Dror Adani]], were his accomplices in the assassination plan.


⚫
Upon hearing that Yitzhak Rabin was dead, Amir told the police he was "satisfied."<ref name="cnn.com">{{cite news | url = http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9511/rabin/amir/index.html | title = 'I have no regrets' Law student confesses to killing Rabin | date = November 5, 1995 | accessdate = April 26, 2009 | work = CNN World News | quote = The man who confessed that he shot and killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin told police Sunday that he was "satisfied." Yigal Amir, a 27-year-old Jewish law student, told police that he had "no regrets" and was acting on the "orders of God."}}</ref> At his trial Amir said he didn't care if the outcome was death or paralysis as long as Rabin was "out of the way." He expressed no regret for his actions. <ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/this-week-in-haaretz-1996-rabin-s-assassin-gets-life-in-prison-1.353211 Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, [[Haaretz]]]</ref>
According to the court, Yigal Amir's brother, [[Hagai Amir|Hagai]], and his friend [[Dror Adani]], were his accomplices in the assassination plan.

⚫
Upon hearing that Yitzhak Rabin was dead, Amir told the police he was "satisfied."<ref name="cnn.com">{{cite news | url = http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9511/rabin/amir/index.html | title = 'I have no regrets' Law student confesses to killing Rabin | date = November 5, 1995 | accessdate = April 26, 2009 | work = CNN World News | quote = The man who confessed that he shot and killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin told police Sunday that he was "satisfied." Yigal Amir, a 27-year-old Jewish law student, told police that he had "no regrets" and was acting on the "orders of God." According to Israeli radio, when he was told that Rabin died in surgery after being shot in the arm and back, Amir said, "I'm satisfied."}}</ref>


===Failed attempts===
===Failed attempts===
The assassination was preceded by three unsuccessful attempts that same year: at [[Yad Vashem]] in [[Jerusalem]], at the Nof Yerushalayim Hotel and a ceremony inaugurating a highway in [[Kfar Shmaryahu]]. <ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/this-week-in-haaretz-1996-rabin-s-assassin-gets-life-in-prison-1.353211 Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, [[Haaretz]]]</ref>These plans fell through moments before implementation.<ref>{{cite news| title = A Trial, a Tape and a Warning in the Rabin Murder Case | first = Serge | last = Schmemann | date = December 20, 1995 | accessdate = April 26, 2009 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/20/world/a-trial-a-tape-and-a-warning-in-the-rabin-murder-case.html | work = The New York Times | quote = Judge Levy then had a copy of the indictment handed to Amir and read the charges, detailing how Amir had tried to kill the Prime Minister twice before, and how he achieved his goal on the night of Nov. 4. At one point, as the judge described how Amir and his brother had considered pumping nitroglycerine into the Prime Minister's water pipes and setting off an explosion, the defendant appeared to stifle a laugh with his hand.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first = Serge | last = Schmemann | title = Rabin's Killer Charged With Murder, 2 Others With Conspiracy | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = December 6, 1995 | accessdate = April 26, 2009 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/06/world/rabin-s-killer-charged-with-murder-2-others-with-conspiracy.html | quote = The Amirs and [[Dror Adani]] had considered a variety of ways to kill Rabin, including putting [[nitroglycerine]] into the plumbing of his house and setting it off, planting a [[car bomb|bomb in his car]], shooting a [[missile]] at his home or at his car, or approaching him with a camouflaged gun. Amir had made two earlier attempts to approach Mr. Rabin with a handgun, but failed both times.}}</ref>
The assassination was preceded by three unsuccessful attempts that same year: at [[Yad Vashem]] in [[Jerusalem]], at the Nof Yerushalayim Hotel and a ceremony inaugurating a highway in [[Kfar Shmaryahu]]. <ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/this-week-in-haaretz-1996-rabin-s-assassin-gets-life-in-prison-1.353211 Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, [[Haaretz]]]</ref>These plans fell through moments before implementation.<ref>{{cite news| title = A Trial, a Tape and a Warning in the Rabin Murder Case | first = Serge | last = Schmemann | date = December 20, 1995 | accessdate = April 26, 2009 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/20/world/a-trial-a-tape-and-a-warning-in-the-rabin-murder-case.html | work = The New York Times | quote = Judge Levy then had a copy of the indictment handed to Amir and read the charges, detailing how Amir had tried to kill the Prime Minister twice before, and how he achieved his goal on the night of Nov. 4. At one point, as the judge described how Amir and his brother had considered pumping nitroglycerine into the Prime Minister's water pipes and setting off an explosion, the defendant appeared to stifle a laugh with his hand.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first = Serge | last = Schmemann | title = Rabin's Killer Charged With Murder, 2 Others With Conspiracy | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = December 6, 1995 | accessdate = April 26, 2009 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/06/world/rabin-s-killer-charged-with-murder-2-others-with-conspiracy.html | quote = The Amirs and [[Dror Adani]] had considered a variety of ways to kill Rabin, including putting [[nitroglycerine]] into the plumbing of his house and setting it off, planting a [[car bomb|bomb in his car]], shooting a [[missile]] at his home or at his car, or approaching him with a camouflaged gun. Amir had made two earlier attempts to approach Mr. Rabin with a handgun, but failed both times.}}</ref>

==Trial==
==Trial==
The trial lasted from January 23 to March 27, 1996. Despite attempts to defend his actions of killing Rabin on religious grounds, Amir was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment plus six additional years in prison for injuring Rubin. In the verdict, the three judges wrote:
The trial lasted from January 23 to March 27, 1996. Despite attempts to defend his actions on religious grounds, Amir was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment plus six additional years in prison for injuring Rubin. In the verdict, the three judges wrote:
<!---- The following section is often removed by the same user. It was discussed on the talk page and the conclusion was keep because of its relevance to the article. Please do not remove without first discussing this on the talk page. --->
<blockquote>Every murder is an abominable act, but the act before us is more abominable sevenfold, because not only has the accused not expressed regret or sorrow, but he also seeks to show that he is at peace with himself over the act that he perpetrated. He who so calmly cuts short another's life, only proves the depth of wretchedness to which [his] values have fallen, and thus he does not merit any regard whatsoever, except pity, because he has lost his humanity.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1996/3/Excerpts%20of%20Yigal%20Amir%20Sentencing%20Decision%20-%20March | title = Excerpts of Yigal Amir Sentencing Decision | date = March 27, 1996 | work = mfa.gov.il | quote = Following are excerpts of the sentencing decision which was rendered today (Wednesday), 27.03.96, by a three-judge panel of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court in the case of the State of Israel vs. Yigal Amir (the panel was composed of Presiding Judge Edmund A. Levy, Judge Saviyona Rotlevy, and Judge Oded Mudrich: ...}}</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>Every murder is an abominable act, but the act before us is more abominable sevenfold, because not only has the accused not expressed regret or sorrow, but he also seeks to show that he is at peace with himself over the act that he perpetrated. He who so calmly cuts short another's life, only proves the depth of wretchedness to which [his] values have fallen, and thus he does not merit any regard whatsoever, except pity, because he has lost his humanity.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1996/3/Excerpts%20of%20Yigal%20Amir%20Sentencing%20Decision%20-%20March | title = Excerpts of Yigal Amir Sentencing Decision | date = March 27, 1996 | work = mfa.gov.il | quote = Following are excerpts of the sentencing decision which was rendered today (Wednesday), 27.03.96, by a three-judge panel of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court in the case of the State of Israel vs. Yigal Amir (the panel was composed of Presiding Judge Edmund A. Levy, Judge Saviyona Rotlevy, and Judge Oded Mudrich: ...}}</ref></blockquote>


Amir was defended by two court-appointed attorneys, Gabi Shachar and Shmuel Flishman, in addition to Yonatan Ray Goldberg, who represented him earlier in the trial. The judges ordered a mental examination by three district psychiatrists and a clinical psychiatrist who all agreed that Amir understood the meaning of his actions and was fit to stand trial. <ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/this-week-in-haaretz-1996-rabin-s-assassin-gets-life-in-prison-1.353211 Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, [[Haaretz]]]</ref>
⚫
Amir's actions were condemned by Bar-Ilan University. A professor of Talmud at the university, [[Daniel Sperber]], said that this act "in no way represents the university or the policy of the university."<ref>[http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=99018&sectioncode=26 Murder taints 'tolerant' campus]</ref>

⚫
Amir's deeds were condemned by Bar-Ilan University. A professor of Talmud at the university, [[Daniel Sperber]], said that this act "in no way represents the university or the policy of the university."<ref>[http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=99018&sectioncode=26 Murder taints 'tolerant' campus]</ref>

Amir's claim that he was acting in accordance with Jewish law was rejected: "The attempt to grant religious authority to the murder...is completely inappropriate and amounts to cynical exploitation of Jewish law for goals that are alien to Judaism.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/this-week-in-haaretz-1996-rabin-s-assassin-gets-life-in-prison-1.353211 Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, [[Haaretz]]]</ref>


In a later trial, Amir was sentenced to an additional five years (and after an [[appeal]] on behalf of the State, eight years) for [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiring]] to commit the assassination with his brother Hagai Amir and Dror Adani. All of the sentences were cumulative. In Israel, a sentence of life imprisonment is usually reduced to a period of 20–30 years by the president, with the possibility of further reduction for good behavior. However, the president did not reduce the sentence, and president [[Moshe Katsav]] said that there is "no forgiveness, no absolution and no pardon" for Yigal Amir.<ref>{{cite news| first = Greer | last = Fay Cashman | title = Katsav: No pardon for Rabin's assassin | work = [[Jerusalem Post]] | page = 3 | format = full access requires payment | date = Nov 4, 2005| accessdate = April 25, 2009 | url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/929796621.html?dids=929796621:929796621&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+04,+2005 | quote=President [[Moshe Katsav]] declared on Thursday that there was "no forgiveness, no absolution and no pardon" for Yigal Amir, the assassin of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Katsav said Amir "has no right to clemency," adding that there was no reason to feel pity for him. Katsav said he would recommend to the next president not to allow the subject of a reduced sentence for Amir to come up for consideration.}}</ref> Present Israeli prime minister [[Benyamin Netanyahu]] and former premier [[Ehud Olmert]], too, have said that Yigal Amir will never be released from prison.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1162378313865&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull | title = Olmert: Yigal Amir will never go free | first = Sheera Claire | last = Frenkel | date = November 2, 2006 | accessdate = April 26, 2009 | work = [[The Jerusalem Post]] | quote = "... According to law, the murderer of the prime minister cannot ever go free – and it is impossible to grant him clemency, not now and not in the future," said [[Ehud Olmert|Olmert]] of the survey, taken last week, during his remarks at a special Knesset session to mark the 11th anniversary of the Rabin assassination. [...] Olmert's position was echoed by opposition leader [[Binjamin Netanyahu]] and Knesset Speaker [[Dalia Itzik]], both of whom stressed that Amir never be allowed to walk free.}}.</ref>
Amir was later sentenced to an additional five years, and after an [[appeal]] on behalf of the State, eight years, for [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiring]] to commit the assassination with his brother Hagai Amir and Dror Adani. All of the sentences were cumulative. In Israel, a sentence of life imprisonment is usually reduced to a period of 20–30 years by the president, with the possibility of further reduction for good behavior. However, the president did not reduce the sentence, and president [[Moshe Katsav]] said that there is "no forgiveness, no absolution and no pardon" for Yigal Amir.<ref>{{cite news| first = Greer | last = Fay Cashman | title = Katsav: No pardon for Rabin's assassin | work = [[Jerusalem Post]] | page = 3 | format = full access requires payment | date = Nov 4, 2005| accessdate = April 25, 2009 | url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/929796621.html?dids=929796621:929796621&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+04,+2005 | quote=President [[Moshe Katsav]] declared on Thursday that there was "no forgiveness, no absolution and no pardon" for Yigal Amir, the assassin of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Katsav said Amir "has no right to clemency," adding that there was no reason to feel pity for him. Katsav said he would recommend to the next president not to allow the subject of a reduced sentence for Amir to come up for consideration.}}</ref> Present Israeli prime minister [[Benyamin Netanyahu]] and former premier [[Ehud Olmert]], too, have said that Yigal Amir will never be released from prison.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1162378313865&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull | title = Olmert: Yigal Amir will never go free | first = Sheera Claire | last = Frenkel | date = November 2, 2006 | accessdate = April 26, 2009 | work = [[The Jerusalem Post]] | quote = "... According to law, the murderer of the prime minister cannot ever go free – and it is impossible to grant him clemency, not now and not in the future," said [[Ehud Olmert|Olmert]] of the survey, taken last week, during his remarks at a special Knesset session to mark the 11th anniversary of the Rabin assassination. [...] Olmert's position was echoed by opposition leader [[Binjamin Netanyahu]] and Knesset Speaker [[Dalia Itzik]], both of whom stressed that Amir never be allowed to walk free.}}.</ref>


== Prison conditions ==
== Prison conditions ==

Revision as of 10:13, 10 April 2011

Yigal Amir
Born (1970-05-23) May 23, 1970 (age 53)
Herzliya, Israel
Criminal statusPrisoner
SpouseLarisa Trembobler
ChildrenYinon Amir
Parent(s)Shlomo and Geula Amir
Conviction(s)Murder, conspiracy to murder, and aggravated injury
Criminal penaltyLife + 14 years

Yigal Amir (Hebrew: יגאל עמיר, born May 23, 1970) is the Israeli assassin of Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin. The assassination took place November 4, 1995 at the conclusion of a rally in Tel Aviv. Amir is currently serving a life sentence for murder plus six years for injuring Rabin's bodyguard, Yoram Rubin, under aggravating circumstances.[1]He was later sentenced to an additional 8 years for conspiracy to murder.

Biography

Yigal Amir was born to an Orthodox Jewish family in Herzliya, Israel. His mother, Geula, was a kindergarten teacher, and his father, Shlomo, was a sofer. Yigal Amir attended a Haredi elementary school in Herzliya and a high school yeshiva in Tel Aviv. He then joined the Israel Defense Forces as a Hesder student, combining army training in the Golani Brigade with religious study at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh.

Amir was a law and computer science student[2] at Bar-Ilan University and a right-wing radical who had strenuously opposed Rabin's signing of the Oslo Accords. During his studies at Bar-Ilan University, he was active in organizing protest rallies.[3]

During his years as an activist, Amir became friendly with Avishai Raviv, to whom he revealed his plan to kill Rabin. While Raviv posed as a right-wing radical, he was working for the Shabak, the Israeli secret service. [4]

While in prison, Amir became engaged to Larisa Trembovler after they exchanged letters and spoke on the phone. In January 2004, the Israel Prison Service refused to allow Amir to marry in jail, and this was upheld in April 2004 by a ruling of the Tel Aviv District Court. However, in August 2004, they held a proxy marriage, giving Amir's father "power of attorney" to transfer a wedding ring to the bride. In July 2005, their marriage was validated by a Rabbinical court, but not by the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. The prison administration issued a statement saying that its policy on "conjugal visits" would not change. In February 2006, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz ordered the Interior Ministry to register them as a married couple.

In late August 2005, Amir applied to the prison authorities for permission to conceive a child through in vitro fertilisation. In March 2006, Amir was caught handing is wife a plastic bag with semen.[5][6] After the incident, a disciplinary tribunal denied him visits for 30 days and phone calls for 14 days. He was fined NIS 100 (then US$21). When the treatments were withheld due to a petition by several members of Knesset, Yigal Amir refused to eat. After being warned that hunger strikes are in violation of prison regulations, some of his privileges were canceled.[7]Up until October 20, 2006 the Shabak security service had opposed unsupervised visits.[8] Four days later, Amir was allowed a 10-hour-long conjugal visit with Larisa Amir. Five months later it was reported that Larisa was pregnant,[9] and on October 28, 2007 she gave birth to a son: Yinon Eliya Shalom. The brit milah took place in Rimonim prison on November 4, 2007 after Amir's appeal to the district court to be present at his son's circumcision was accepted.[10]

Assassination

The monument at the site of the assassination: Ibn Gabirol Street, between Tel Aviv City Hall and Gan Ha'ir
Main article: Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

On November 4, 1995, after a demonstration in Tel Aviv's "Kings of Israel Square" (now Rabin Square) in support of the Oslo Accords, Amir awaited Rabin in the parking lot adjacent the square, close to Rabin's official limousine. There he shot Rabin twice with a Beretta 84F .380 ACP caliber semi-automatic pistol and injured Yoram Rubin, a security guard, with a third shot. Amir was immediately seized by Rabin's bodyguards. Rabin was rushed to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center where he died on an operating table 40 minutes later of blood loss and a punctured lung. According to the court, Yigal Amir's brother, Hagai, and his friend Dror Adani, were his accomplices in the assassination plan.

Upon hearing that Yitzhak Rabin was dead, Amir told the police he was "satisfied."[11] At his trial Amir said he didn't care if the outcome was death or paralysis as long as Rabin was "out of the way." He expressed no regret for his actions. [12]

Failed attempts

The assassination was preceded by three unsuccessful attempts that same year: at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, at the Nof Yerushalayim Hotel and a ceremony inaugurating a highway in Kfar Shmaryahu. [13]These plans fell through moments before implementation.[14][15]

Trial

The trial lasted from January 23 to March 27, 1996. Despite attempts to defend his actions on religious grounds, Amir was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment plus six additional years in prison for injuring Rubin. In the verdict, the three judges wrote:

Every murder is an abominable act, but the act before us is more abominable sevenfold, because not only has the accused not expressed regret or sorrow, but he also seeks to show that he is at peace with himself over the act that he perpetrated. He who so calmly cuts short another's life, only proves the depth of wretchedness to which [his] values have fallen, and thus he does not merit any regard whatsoever, except pity, because he has lost his humanity.[16]

Amir was defended by two court-appointed attorneys, Gabi Shachar and Shmuel Flishman, in addition to Yonatan Ray Goldberg, who represented him earlier in the trial. The judges ordered a mental examination by three district psychiatrists and a clinical psychiatrist who all agreed that Amir understood the meaning of his actions and was fit to stand trial. [17]

Amir's deeds were condemned by Bar-Ilan University. A professor of Talmud at the university, Daniel Sperber, said that this act "in no way represents the university or the policy of the university."[18]

Amir's claim that he was acting in accordance with Jewish law was rejected: "The attempt to grant religious authority to the murder...is completely inappropriate and amounts to cynical exploitation of Jewish law for goals that are alien to Judaism.[19]

Amir was later sentenced to an additional five years, and after an appeal on behalf of the State, eight years, for conspiring to commit the assassination with his brother Hagai Amir and Dror Adani. All of the sentences were cumulative. In Israel, a sentence of life imprisonment is usually reduced to a period of 20–30 years by the president, with the possibility of further reduction for good behavior. However, the president did not reduce the sentence, and president Moshe Katsav said that there is "no forgiveness, no absolution and no pardon" for Yigal Amir.[20] Present Israeli prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu and former premier Ehud Olmert, too, have said that Yigal Amir will never be released from prison.[21]

Prison conditions

Amir was held in solitary confinement in Beersheba's Eshel Prison and moved to Ayalon Prison in 2003. His appeals of both sentences were rejected. Subsequently, a law was passed by the Knesset barring the pardon by the President of Israel for any assassin of a prime minister. Amir has never expressed regret for his actions.[11]Since 2007, the Amir family and the "Committee for Democracy" campaigned to release Yigal and Hagai Amir. The campaign includes statements for the media, stickers, posters and short films. Amir was interviewed by the Israeli press in 2008. The release of the interview on television was controversial and subsequently was cancelled. Later in 2008 he went on a hunger strike.[22]

In July 2010, after 15 years of solitary confinement, Amir appealed to Petach Tikva court to be permitted to pray in group prayers in accordance to Jewish law. He claimed that the terms of his imprisonment were worse than any other prisoner in the history of the State of Israel, on the grounds that no other prisoner had been in solitary for this amount of time. He said that failure to allow him to pray in synagogue would be a violation of his right to freedom of worship.[23]

References

  1. ^ Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, Haaretz
  2. ^ Cowell, Alan (November 10, 1995). "ASSASSINATION IN ISRAEL: THE INQUIRY; 2 More Held in Rabin Slaying; Israeli Police See a Conspiracy". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2009. He was a law and computer science student at Bar-Ilan University, as well as a seminary student.
  3. ^ {{Cite news| first1 = Eitan | last1 = Rabin | first2 = Yossi | last2 = Hatuni |first3 = Reuven | last3 = Shapira | first4 = Yossi | last4 = Melman | authorlink4 = Yossi Melman| title = שמו של יגאל עמור הועבר לשב"כ כמה שבועות לפני רצח רבין (The name of Yigal Amir was forwarded to the GSS a few weeks before the murder of Yitzhak Rabin) |language = Hebrew | work = Haaretz | date = November 20, 1995 | accessdate= April 26, 2009
  4. ^ {{cite news | first = Ehud | last = Asheri | title = Fertile ground for a conspiracy | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/914588.html | date = October 25, 2007 | accessdate = April 29, 2009 | work = Haaretz
  5. ^ Associated Press (March 9, 2006). "Tapes catch Amir smuggling sperm". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  6. ^ {{cite news | title = Yigal Amir attempts to smuggle semen | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3225913,00.html |last = Senyor | first = Eli | work =Ynet | date = September 3, 2006 | accessdate = April 27, 2009
  7. ^ {{cite news | url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961238217&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull | title = Yigal Amir refused fertilization; refuses food | work = The Jerusalem Post
  8. ^ Yaoz, Yuval (2006-10-24). "Rabin killer Amir to begin conjugal visit". Haaretz. Retrieved 2009-05-10. Until recently, the Shin Bet security service has been opposed to allowing Amir unsupervised visits.
  9. ^ "Rabin assassin to be father". The Sydney Morning Herald. Agence France-Presse. 2007-03-13. Retrieved 2009-05-10. The wife of the jailed assassin of former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is pregnant, relatives said today, five months after the couple were first allowed to enjoy conjugal visits.
  10. ^ Lis, Jonathan; Hai, Yigal. "Rabin assassin Yigal Amir's son circumcised in tent on prison grounds". Haaretz. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  11. ^ a b "'I have no regrets' Law student confesses to killing Rabin". CNN World News. November 5, 1995. Retrieved April 26, 2009. The man who confessed that he shot and killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin told police Sunday that he was "satisfied." Yigal Amir, a 27-year-old Jewish law student, told police that he had "no regrets" and was acting on the "orders of God."
  12. ^ Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, Haaretz
  13. ^ Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, Haaretz
  14. ^ Schmemann, Serge (December 20, 1995). "A Trial, a Tape and a Warning in the Rabin Murder Case". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2009. Judge Levy then had a copy of the indictment handed to Amir and read the charges, detailing how Amir had tried to kill the Prime Minister twice before, and how he achieved his goal on the night of Nov. 4. At one point, as the judge described how Amir and his brother had considered pumping nitroglycerine into the Prime Minister's water pipes and setting off an explosion, the defendant appeared to stifle a laugh with his hand.
  15. ^ Schmemann, Serge (December 6, 1995). "Rabin's Killer Charged With Murder, 2 Others With Conspiracy". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2009. The Amirs and Dror Adani had considered a variety of ways to kill Rabin, including putting nitroglycerine into the plumbing of his house and setting it off, planting a bomb in his car, shooting a missile at his home or at his car, or approaching him with a camouflaged gun. Amir had made two earlier attempts to approach Mr. Rabin with a handgun, but failed both times.
  16. ^ "Excerpts of Yigal Amir Sentencing Decision". mfa.gov.il. March 27, 1996. Following are excerpts of the sentencing decision which was rendered today (Wednesday), 27.03.96, by a three-judge panel of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court in the case of the State of Israel vs. Yigal Amir (the panel was composed of Presiding Judge Edmund A. Levy, Judge Saviyona Rotlevy, and Judge Oded Mudrich: ...
  17. ^ Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, Haaretz
  18. ^ Murder taints 'tolerant' campus
  19. ^ Rabin's assassin gets life in prison, Haaretz
  20. ^ Fay Cashman, Greer (Nov 4, 2005). "Katsav: No pardon for Rabin's assassin" (full access requires payment). Jerusalem Post. p. 3. Retrieved April 25, 2009. President Moshe Katsav declared on Thursday that there was "no forgiveness, no absolution and no pardon" for Yigal Amir, the assassin of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Katsav said Amir "has no right to clemency," adding that there was no reason to feel pity for him. Katsav said he would recommend to the next president not to allow the subject of a reduced sentence for Amir to come up for consideration.
  21. ^ Frenkel, Sheera Claire (November 2, 2006). "Olmert: Yigal Amir will never go free". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 26, 2009. "... According to law, the murderer of the prime minister cannot ever go free – and it is impossible to grant him clemency, not now and not in the future," said Olmert of the survey, taken last week, during his remarks at a special Knesset session to mark the 11th anniversary of the Rabin assassination. [...] Olmert's position was echoed by opposition leader Binjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik, both of whom stressed that Amir never be allowed to walk free..
  22. ^ Ben-Zur, Raanan (2008-11-30). "Rabin murderer on hunger strike". Yediot Ahronot. Israel News. Yigal Amir, the assassin of late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, began a hunger strike on Sunday in protest of his punishments for giving unauthorized interviews to the media in late October. [...] Following a public outcry, the television stations decided to archive the interview with Amir at this time without airing it.
  23. ^ Israel National News July 26, 2010

External links

Legal documents

Websites and pages

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