Saturday’s assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is tragic, but the slaying must not derail the Middle East peace process.

Even Rabin opponents concede he was making headway toward a lasting peace with the Palestinians. His efforts were not always enough and he was not always one of the world’s foremost peace delegates, a role that earned him the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize.

“For 27 years I was a military man; I fought all the time and there was not chance for peace. I believe that there is now a chance for peace and we must take advantage of it,” Rabin said at a peace rally Saturday.

Rabin was not a perfect leader. Nearly since he was old enough to hold a gun, he had been fighting Arab nations and Palestinian militants in then-Israeli territories. He had all but alienated those Jewish groups still leery of Palestinian self-control. And until 1992, it was unclear whether Rabin really wanted peace.

But he said he did. He made a sincere effort — in appearance at least — to bring an end to the Middle East conflicts, winning the respect of the United States for his pursuits. And he ultimately died for the peace he will never see in full.

Israelis and Palestinians alike should feel remorse over the loss of Rabin, but they should also keep in mind that the former prime minister is only the latest casualty in a war that has claimed thousands.