Yigal Amir

Yigal Amir is an Israeli man serving a life sentence in prison. He is known for the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the prime minister of Israel. This event took place on November 4, 1995, in Tel Aviv.

At the time, Amir was a law student at Bar-Ilan University. He was also a very religious man. He grew up in a large family with eight children. His father, Shlomo, was a sofer, which is a religious scribe. His mother, Geula, was a kindergarten teacher who ran a nursery school.

Amir held very strong political and religious views. He was strongly opposed to the Oslo Accords, which were peace agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Because of this, he joined many protest rallies. He also helped found an illegal settlement outpost. During his time as an activist, he became friendly with Avishai Raviv. It was later found that Raviv was actually working for the Shin Bet, which is Israel's internal security service. Amir also had a short relationship with a law student named Nava Holtzman. When the relationship ended, Amir fell into a deep depression.

On the night of the assassination, a large rally was held in Tel Aviv. This rally supported the Oslo Accords.

Amir waited in a parking lot near the official limousine of the prime minister. He used a Beretta pistol to shoot Rabin twice. A third shot injured a security guard named Yoram Rubin. Rabin was rushed to Ichilov Hospital, but he died there 40 minutes later. Amir was caught immediately by the bodyguards. After the event, Amir told police he felt "satisfied" with his actions.

Amir's trial began in January 1996 and lasted until March. Three judges heard the case, including presiding judge Edmond Levy. Doctors examined Amir to see if he understood his actions. They decided he was fit to stand trial. The court rejected his claim that he was following religious law. The judges found him guilty of murder and of injuring Yoram Rubin. He was sentenced to life in prison plus six extra years. The judges said his actions were "abominable" and showed a loss of humanity.

Amir has spent many years in different prisons, including Eshel, Ayalon, and Rimonim. For a long time, he lived in solitary confinement. This means he was kept alone in his cell. He has sometimes used hunger strikes to protest his prison conditions.

Some groups and his family have campaigned for his release. However, the Knesset passed the Yigal Amir Law in 2001. This law prevents the president of Israel from pardoning someone who kills a prime minister. Security services still believe that Amir remains a threat to national security.