The People of Israel and their Desire for Peace

This morning was certainly not a usual morning for the entire IDC. At 10:55am, all classes came to a halt. The offices were shut and the library was closed at the same moment. The entire IDC community who were on campus at that time gathered at the plaza outside the Radzyner School of Law, for a memorial ceremony in memory of the late Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin (1922-1995), who was assassinated by a Jewish right-wing extremist on November 4, 1995 when he was leaving a mass rally for peace held under the slogan “Yes to Peace, No to Violence” in Tel Aviv. It was a really solemn ceremony. There were no smiles. Almost everyone looked like they were engaging in some sort of self-reflection and soul-searching. (I decided not to take any pictures then to respect the solemnness of this ceremony.)

Indeed, Rabin’s assassination shocked and grieved the whole nation, as he was a symbol of Israel’s desire for peace in the country and around the world. The historic Oslo Agreements with the Palestinians and the Treaty of Peace with Jordan were signed during his term as the Prime Minister, and he ignited the nation’s hope for the normalisation of relations across the Arab world. Unfortunately and ironically, he was assassinated at a peace rally, right after delivering his speech emphasising Israel wanted peace and wanted to make peace, and more ironically, by his own countryman. 11 years later, despite of the fact that the country went to war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in July, constantly faced the terrorists’ threats and rockets from the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and was threatened to be wiped off the map by the current Iranian President, that desire for peace continues to live within the people. From my interaction with the people in Israel since I arrived here, all of them desire peace, no matter how grim the possibility of peace may seem. What I saw at the memorial ceremony was one people, one hope for that peace which Israel has been longing for. I think it will be impossible for me to ever forget what I saw and how I felt at that ceremony.