The line we cannot cross: Israel must never free Yigal Amir - editorial

A Jerusalem Post editorial argues that Israel must never release Yigal Amir, the assassin of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. It opens with an elderly activist hospitalized after being assaulted while removing a sign calling for Amir's release. The editorial warns that portraying Amir as a victim sends a dangerous message, and urges leaders across the political spectrum, especially on the Right, to condemn calls for his release.

An editorial in The Jerusalem Post argues that Israel must never release Yigal Amir, the man who assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. The piece opens with a report that an elderly activist was hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage after being assaulted while removing a sign calling for Amir's release. The editorial asserts that Amir is not a political prisoner but a convicted assassin whose crime was an attack on democracy itself. It warns that campaigns to present Amir as a victim send a dangerous message that political violence can be excused over time. The author calls on leaders across the political spectrum, especially on the Right, to clearly state that Amir must remain in prison. The piece emphasizes that democracy depends on elections, not assassination, and that silence allows extreme ideas to gain legitimacy. It concludes that calls to free Amir cross a fundamental democratic line.