Poll: 40% Believe Another Political Assassination Possible

Forty percent of Israelis believe that another political murder is possible, a poll released Thursday said. The poll was taken in advance of the annual memorial ceremony for murdered Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin in Tel Aviv this weekend.

Of those who believe a political murder is in the offing, 39% said it would likely be a supporter of the right who kills a politician from the left, while 21% said that the victim would be a rightwing politician at the hand of a leftist killer. Sixteen percent said they believed the perpetrator would be an Arab, with the victim a figure on the right.

The sharp rhetoric used in discussing politics would be a leading cause of that murder. Forty percent of those who responded said that political discourse in Israel harsher than it was before the murder of Rabin, while 24% said things were worse before the 2005 murder of Rabin. Thirty-seven percent blame the media for the harsh political climate, 29% blame politicians and 34% blame both. Regarding Yigal Amir, the killer of Rabin, 20% believe he should be released and given clemency, while 63% said he should remain in prison. The rest weren’t sure.

The poll was commissioned by organizers of Saturday night’s rally. Reacting to it, they said that the poll’s results were “worrying and show how more than ever we need to unite and eliminate the violence within us. There are certainly forces that are working day and night to reduce the punishment of the murderer of Rabin. When you forget, you become indifferent, and indifference in this case can kill.”