Channel 20 uses Yigal Amir as gimmick for new talk show
Notwithstanding strenuous objections from various sources, including members of Knesset, Channel 20 went ahead on Sunday night with its plan to broadcast quotes attributed to Yigal Amir, the assassin of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The broadcast heralded the launch of a new talk show, Riklis and Magal, featuring Shimon Riklis and Yinon Magal as co-anchors of a current affairs program in which they interview panelists of various political and religious persuasions.
Few things could excite more than Yigal Amir. The problem was that Amir is not allowed to be interviewed and the quotes attributed to him were, according to the two co-anchors, culled from things that he had said to relatives and friends over the years.
The voice making these utterances was in all probability not that of Amir, and the tone and nuances were those of the actor or announcer reading the script. That person did not appear on screen.
While condemning Amir’s actions as anti-democratic, the two anchors said that what he had to say was nonetheless a legitimate subject of journalistic interest.
In essence, Amir claimed that all the conspiracy theories about him and the assassination were bunkum.
He had acted solely in accordance with his own conscience and beliefs.
He did not consult with nor was he influenced by rabbis, Shin Bet or anyone else. Amir said that he was not representing anyone and that he resented being linked with the settler movement because he wears a black kippah.
Contrary to what was said against Rabin at right-wing demonstrations opposing the Oslo Accords, Amir did not regard Rabin as a traitor or an enemy of the people. He simply wanted to stop him from going ahead.
He totally dismissed the idea that anyone had tampered with the bullets in his gun, saying that he had inspected them himself before he left home.
He had absolutely no regrets. Had he voiced regrets, he said, he would have been given conjugal rights and many other privileges that are accorded to other prisoners but not to him.
He had opted to stick with his own beliefs, according to the quotes.
Former justice minister Haim Ramon, who did not participate in the panel discussions, in a telephone conversation with the two anchors said that Amir had succeeded in his goal. He had stopped Rabin and he had stopped Oslo.
Right-wing panelists condemned the murder and said that Amir had done them irreparable harm for which they were still paying the price.