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RABIN, THE LAST DAY Send This Review to a Friend
Even though 20 years have passed since the 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the loss still resonates in today’s conflicts within Israel and without. Amos Gitai, who directed “Rabin, The Last Day” and co-wrote its screenplay with Marie-Jose Sanseime, has broadly attempted to get at the essence of the tragedy and its aftermath by means of mixing dramatization with documentary clips. Although the combination can sometimes be frustrating to one who may not always be able to distinguish which was which, the overall impact of the rambling film is informative and emotionally charged.
What disturbs most is the hatred that led up to the assassination. The film depicts zealous rabbis citing religious doctrine as justification for condemning Rabin to death as a traitor for his peace negotiations in the Oslo accords that would give up occupied land that right-wing religious fanatics believe is holy territory that belongs to Israel. (One can liken this to fatwas issued by Islamic extremists.) The utter hatred stirred up against Rabin is stomach-turning. There is interspersed a clip of present Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu making a past rabble-rousing speech against the policies of Rabin. There is a revolting sequence in which a woman psychiatrist appearing before a rabbinical group diagnoses Rabin as schizophrenic.
The film also covers an inquiry into the security arrangements for Rabin at the huge rally that he attended and where he was shot. It seems certain that security was fatally lax. An important section of the film contains a portrayal of the 25-year-old fanatic, Yigal Amir, who committed the murder, including an interrogation in which he arrogantly defends his deed in line with his perceived duty to kill one judged a traitor to Israel by religious extremists. (Amir received a life sentence.)
Also shown is the forced eviction of settlers from a settlement deemed illigal. The settler movement on the West Bank continues to be a major contention in efforts to make peace with Palestinians. The right-wing religious parties and Netanyahu regime continue to push for more settlements, while those arguing against them are vilified.
The exploration of Rabin’s assassination and the fury raging against him at the time, enacted and documented, gives the film significance in looking at the history of Israel and what has developed as an outgrowth of the crime.
“Rabin, The Last Day” inevitably may remind us of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, and stirs anew of speculation of how different America might be if these killings had not happened.
There can be similar speculations in Israel. How different would relations between Jews and Palestinians be if Rabin had lived and was able to carry out the Oslo peace plan? “Rabin, The Last Day” doesn’t explore whether Yasser Arafat could have delivered on his part in view of ultra-militant Palestinians committed to the destruction of Israel.
What the film does achieve is focusing on the utter hatred churned up at the time, with the implication for future efforts to solve problems within Israel and the difficulty of satisfying disputing political parties with deep emotional and explosive basic disagreements, as well as for negotiations toward a two-state solution. A Kino Lorber release. Reviewed January 30, 2016.
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