Press Office, Embassy of Israel
PRESS RELEASE:
MURDER OF REHAVAM ZE'EVI
Following are some thoughts on Wednesday's assassination of Rehavam Ze'evi.
- While there will be those who may wish to link this assassination with Israel's policy of targeting defensive killings, there is no political or moral basis for such comparisons:
- Israel's defensive actions are targeted specifically against those who perpetrate and plan terrorist violence against Israeli citizens. Israel does not target people for their political views.
- Those who killed Minister Rehavam Ze'evi killed a man who was not engaged in any way in violence against others.
- Minister Ze'evi was a politician. His modus operandi was debate and argument, through the appropriate democratic processes. He was not engaged in any way in violent activity against Palestinians.
- He was killed because of his politics, not because he threatened anyone's life.
- While there are many who disagree with his politics, his views are not the issue. Those who chose to kill him are.
- Claims that this killing was in revenge for earlier killings by Israel bear witness to the nefarious motives of those making the claims. Revenge has no place in the conduct of relations between peoples.
- The real question now is less what Israel's response will be, but what Arafat's response will be.
- The PA continues to harbour known terrorists in contravention of every single undertaking it has made to Israel, including the latest ceasefire agreed on September 28.
- This terrorist infrastructure must be uprooted, if talk of peace and statehood can have any prospect of progress and success.