Israel Matzav

Treat Amir like any other prisoner

Ten days ago, I reported that Yigal Amir, who was convicted of assassinating Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, had asked to be removed from his isolation.

At the time I wrote that Amir's problem is that he and his brother have been convicted of murdering peace, and not of murdering a person. That is why they have been in isolation for 15 years.

A surprising source, far Left Haaretz writer Avirama Golan, argues that Amir should be treated like any other prisoner, and should not be isolated.

This heartfelt public desire has no logical foundation. It is based on emotional revulsion at Amir, fear of the murderer within ourselves and lust for revenge. Were a poll to be conducted on the point, it is doubtful whether the public would be able to decide which is worse: killing a child, stuffing the body in a suitcase and throwing it into the Yarkon River; killing three innocent children in cold blood; or putting a bullet through the head of a statesman and thereby causing mortal harm to peace, democracy and society.

Such questions have no answer, nor do they need to have one. A murderer is a murderer, and human society is not supposed to classify cases of murder according to the horror and disgust they arouse. In view of the hysterical responses to the murder cases mentioned above, it is far from clear that Amir is at the top of Israel's scale of revulsion. Nonetheless, most of the public does not believe that isolating him is inhumane.

The reason for this is simple: Despite the efforts made on memorial days, the Rabin assassination was not a formative national catastrophe. On the contrary: It derived from cultural and ideological schisms that have only widened in its aftermath. The assassination presented Israeli society with an opportunity to clarify its positions. Instead, it preferred to block this process with a panicky, hypocritical and sanctimonious reconciliation.

In the context of this whitewash, Amir was defined as a "monster." The roots from which he emerged were suppressed, and the voices lauding his acts were drowned out by the demand to remove him entirely from our consciousness.

Democracy, though, is measured partly by its attitude toward lawbreakers who threaten its existence. More than anything, the fear and vindictiveness that characterize the discussion about Amir bear witness to the weakening of Israeli democracy and society.

Hey if we keep this up, maybe in a few years he can have a real trial,, with a lawyer who wants to represent him, and at which he gets to examine the evidence, and examine and cross-examine witnesses.

But we're not up to that yet.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:14 AM