Amir fired the three shots that killed Rabin on Nov. 4, 1995 after the Nobel Peace Prize laureate attended a peace rally in Tel Aviv. Amir was sentenced to life in prison and has become an icon for some hardline Israelis who oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state on land Israel has occupied since the 1967 Mideast war.
Excerpts from Yitzhaki's first interview since the assassination were broadcast Thursday on Israel TV Channel Two. The full interview is to be broadcast later Friday.
Yitzhaki, who resigned after the assassination, said he took responsibility for the failure of his bodyguards to prevent the killing, including "the activity of the security guards who had been trained for years ... that the second bullet - if not the first - would be theirs."
Yet, five months before the assassination, a sergeant from the army's intelligence unit overheard a conversation in a public restroom about a "little Yemenite guy" who had a handgun and had serious intentions to kill Rabin, but that information was never passed along, Yitzhaki said. Amir's family immigrated from Yemen.
Since questions remain about the events leading up to the assassination, Yitzhaki said he wonders "whether there is room to set up another state inquiry to investigate the truth."
On Friday, Rabin's family and friends from his Labour Party gathered at his graveside to light memorial candles and remember the man who paid with his life for negotiating Israel's first deal with the Palestinians.
"What he started will never be forgotten and we shall continue to act in the same way until we shall achieve the most noble goal of our life, and that is peace among ourselves and our neighbours," said Shimon Peres.
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