Avraham Azrieli - The Jerusalem Assassin

“ Stay in power, you mean,” Itah said.

“ I didn’t come here to sit in the prime minister’s chair,” Rabin said sharply. “Or to win favor with X, Y, or Z. I see this as the crowning achievement of my life. I started in the Jewish underground, fighting the British. I commanded the army in battles and served as ambassador in Washington. I was prime minister once before, but was too inexperienced in politics. And I’ve served for over five years as defense minister. Now I’m here again at a unique point in time. I feel there’s a real chance to fundamentally change the relationship between Israel and the Arab world, our neighbors, and the Palestinians.”

“ A noble cause doesn’t sanctify all means.” Lemmy waved at the board with all the parties’ names. “Does it mean nothing that leaders who represent half the population oppose your Oslo Accords?”

“ I despise them! Who are they? Did they fight like me? Are they responsible for our defense achievements, like me?”

“ Aren’t they?”

“The positive elements in the nation stand with me. Come to the peace rally on Saturday night. You’ll see the huge support for peace!”

“We’d love to attend,” Itah said. “But the goons from the Shin Bet are after us. And they got the police after me on fictional charges.”

The prime minister waved dismissively. “By the time you reach the Knesset exit, I will have ordered them not to bother you again.” He accompanied them to the door and shook Lemmy’s hand. “You should visit the new promenade at the Government House area. You won’t recognize the place.”

“Great idea,” Itah said. “Let’s go there right now.”

*

The phone rang, and Agent Cohen picked it up. “Yes?” He listened. “With Itah Orr? Are you sure? Then get a team over there!” He slammed the phone and ran to the door.

“What’s happening? hat’s tl Gideon followed him.

“Spinoza met Rabin at the Knesset.”

“ You’re kidding!”

“ What chutzpah this guy has!” Agent Cohen hit the elevator button repeatedly. “ Shit! Shit! Shit! ”

The door of the next apartment opened, and the nurse peeked out.

“We’re done here,” Agent Cohen said. “Pack up.”

“ But I don’t understand,” Gideon said. “Did Spinoza try to-”

“No. Visitors are searched at the entrance to the Knesset. No weapons allowed.”

“ If Elie trained him, Spinoza doesn’t need a weapon.”

“ Rabin is watched constantly.” The elevator arrived, they rushed in, and Agent Cohen hit the lobby button. “We’re not dealing with someone suicidal. Spinoza is a professional killer who wants to get out safely.”

“Then why would he risk going into the Knesset to meet Rabin?”

“Scout the target? Establish rapport? Who the hell knows?”

“What did they discuss?”

“I don’t know yet. Itah Orr was with him.”

“Why is she helping Spinoza?”

Agent Cohen shrugged. “She probably doesn’t realize what she’s dealing with. For all we know, Spinoza might be disposing of her as we speak.”

*

Itah and Lemmy strolled across the forecourt to the main exit, pausing to look at the views of the Israel Museum and the Supreme Court. There was no sign of trouble as they exited though the visitors’ gate and flagged down a taxi.

“To the Old City,” Lemmy said.

Traffic was slow in the city’s center, and the cabby dropped them off near the Jaffa Gate. They stopped at a store filled with knickknacks and bought pocket-size binoculars. Passing by David’s Tower, Lemmy found stairs leading up to the top of the ancient wall surrounding the Old City. He led the way to the southern ramparts and found an archer’s slit that the wind and rain had widened over the centuries.

Across a wide gulch, the opposite ridge was dominated by the massive whitewashed structure of the old Government House, where the British high commissioner had resided until Israel’s independence in 1948, followed by the UN Mideast Command until 1967, when Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan. There was no trace of the giant radar receptor, which Lemmy had destroyed with a bomb on the first morning of the war.

The most striking view was a long promenade, which crested the ridge all the way to the right, across what used to be the border, and connecting with the main road to Hebron. He trained the binoculars on the boardwalk and scanned it slo wly. The parking area at the eastern end was sparsely used by a few cars and three tour buses. But suddenly two white sedans sped up the access road and let out a group of men. He switched his focus to the parking lot at the western end of the promenade. A similar group arrived there in a hurry. They advanced from both directions, like pincers. They stopped visitors, checked papers, and held up photos to compare faces.

Itah took the binoculars. She scanned the view across the gulch. “Unbelievable. The prime minister lied to us!”

“ I don’t think so.” Lemmy took the binoculars and headed back toward David’s Tower.

“ What are you saying?” She followed him. “Shin Bet won’t act against Rabin’s explicit orders!”

“ Why not? VIP protection is a tricky business. They have to ignore the wishes of the individual VIP. A public figure cannot dictate the terms of his own protection. On the contrary. Everything must be done to remove a threat, even against his orders.”

“ But you’re no threat to Rabin.” Itah held his arm as the narrow path atop the ancient wall turned right.

Lemmy stopped and turned to face her. “What makes you so sure?”

Itah looked at him.

The dry wind picked up, stinging them with dust. A muezzin chanted nearby.

She glanced at the edge of the wall and the long drop to the bottom.

“ See what I mean?” Lemmy chuckled. “Even you aren’t completely sure. As far as they’re concerned, I could be a turncoat. As long as I’m walking around, I’m an unacceptable risk.”

*

Friday, November 3, 1995

After midnight, the hospital quieted down. But Elie waited another hour before getting out of bed. In the soft light from the window, he saw Rabbi Gerster rise from his cot and follow him into the bathroom. He pressed the lever to flush the toilet. “Abraham,” he whispered, “are you still committed?”

“To what?”

“Preventing another Holocaust.”

“Counter Final Solution?”

Elie nodded.

“I’m committed. But first I must save my son.”

It was the response Elie had expected. “Lemmy needs no saving. He’s capable of saving himself. He came here to help you. Leave the country, and he will follow you. I’ll make sure of it.” Before Abraham could argue, he added, “Tanya is the one who needs your help.”

“ I know. But how can I leave the country?”

“ I’ve prepared papers for you, only I didn’t think you’d need it so soon. Go to Hapoalim Bank, Herzl Boulevard branch. Manager is David Abulafia. He has an envelope for you. Cash, credit cards, German passport under the name Abelard Horch.”

“ Abelard Horch?”

“ Lemmy’s father.”

In the darkness, Rabbi Gerster gripped Elie’s thin forearm. “You were planning to reunite us all along!”

“ I’m not a monster,” Elie said. “Tomorrow, take a flight to Amsterdam. Look for the Mullenhuis Data Recovery Company. The owner, Carl, will know where to find Tanya.”

“ How do you know?”

“ That Dutchman is the only person Lemmy would trust. They’re true friends.”

His breathing belabored, Elie lay back under the covers in the elevated hospital bed. He watched Abraham get dressed and bunch up the blankets on his cot in the shape of a sleeping person. His shadow bent over Elie’s bed. “Shalom,” he whispered.