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Former Rabin associate says incitement in Israel now worse than lead-up to assassination

Shimon Sheves, a close associate of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, tells Al-Monitor that incitement, hatred and lack of rule of law in Israel nowadays are even worse than in the days before the assassination of Rabin.
Incoming Israeli President Reuven Rivlin swears in during a ceremony at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem July 24, 2014. Rivlin, a right-wing legislator opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state, was elected Israel's president last month to replace the dovish Shimon Peres in the largely ceremonial post.   REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun    (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR400QM
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“President Reuven [Rivlin], you are an honest man, perhaps the last senior official to speak truthfully and aim for justice. I am proud of you my big brother for your courage and steadfastness … Do me a favor and tell your associates to keep you out of harm’s way. I failed.” This statement was posted on Aug. 3 by Shimon Sheves, the man who stood by the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin throughout most of his tumultuous political career until his assassination in November 1995. What prompted Sheves to express concern on his Facebook page were the life threats made against Rivlin by extreme right-wing activists, who “dressed” him up, as they did Rabin back in those days, in Waffen SS uniforms, adding the caption “Traitor.”

Sheves told Al-Monitor that the level of hatred, violence, incitement and lawlessness in Israel today eclipses the atmosphere during the dark days that led to Rabin’s assassination.

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