As Israel prepared to mark 30 years since the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, his son Yuval — who has spoken only sparingly over the past decade — said in an interview broadcast Friday that the country’s divisions today echo the incitement that led to his father’s murder.

The memorial rally for the former premier, returning after five years, will take place Saturday evening near the Rabin Memorial on Ibn Gabirol Street in Tel Aviv — the very site of the assassination.

Organizers said the event had not been held in recent years due to ongoing construction at Rabin Square and the security and logistical challenges posed by the war.

Preparations were underway Saturday for a large expected turnout, with traffic closures and large screens for live broadcasts along the street and in surrounding areas.

Speakers at the event will include Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, former IDF chief of staff and MK Gadi Eisenkot, Democrats chair Yair Golan, and former foreign minister Tzipi Livni.

The program will feature performances by Dana International, Boaz Sharabi, Ester Rada, and others, and participants will include released hostage Gadi Mozes, community leader Rabbi Benny Lau, and Arab society expert Nasreen Haddad Haj-Yahya.

The ceremony will open with a screening of Rabin’s final speech, include a moment of silence at 9:42 p.m. — the exact time of his 1995 assassination — and conclude with the singing of the national anthem and “Shir LaShalom” (Song for Peace), the song Rabin famously sang just minutes before he was killed.

Rabin, a Labor prime minister, was assassinated on November 4, 1995, by right-wing extremist Yigal Amir following a mass peace rally in Tel Aviv that was called to highlight opposition to violence and to showcase public support for the prime minister’s efforts to negotiate with the Palestinians.

In a rare interview aired by Channel 12 on Friday, Yuval Rabin — who now lives in central Europe — reflected on Israel’s political climate and the growing tide of hatred and polarization.

Speaking candidly about life in the shadow of a father who became a national symbol, Yuval Rabin said: “I never wanted to put myself........

© The Times of Israel