Peace activist whose parents were murdered on Oct. 7 calls to end ‘political arrests’ of Israelis, administrative detention of Palestinians

Peace activist Maoz Inon, whose parents, Bilha and Yakov Inon, were murdered in Kibbutz Netiv Ha’Asarah on October 7, 2023, makes a case for optimism as he speaks to roughly 100 people gathered outside the IDF headquarters’ Begin Road gate.

Inon says his late father was “the greatest farmer in the world” and always knew things would get better, no matter how bad the year’s crops were.

“Next year will be better,” says Inon, citing his father.

He goes on to sing the praises of the so-called “dumpster detainees,” six anti-government protesters arrested for torching dumpsters and inadvertently setting a car ablaze near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence last month.

The six protesters are “in a cell, political prisoners of a repressive regime,” says Inon. “My heart is with their families.”

“But my heart, which was broken into thousands of thousands of pieces on October 7, is not just with them — my heart is also with the Palestinian friend my children were with in the summer camp run by the bereaved families forum,” says Inon, referring to the Parents Circle-Families Forum, which brings together Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones to the conflict.

The aforementioned Palestinian friend, a 15-year-old, is one of some 3,500 Palestinians being held in administrative detention, a practice which allows Israeli security forces to detain Palestinians, often for months on end, without charge, trial, or access to legal counsel.

“No to political arrests of Israelis; no to administrative detention of Palestinians under the Israeli occupation,” says Inon. “Liberty for all, justice for all, equality for all.”

Inon’s speech and the remarks of other speakers are difficult to hear on one side of the platform where they are speaking, due to the presence of a pro-Netanyahu activist arguing with protesters.

She holds a small microphone and is accompanied by a young man recording her arguments on his phone, apparently to be uploaded to social media. The arguments persist after the demonstration disperses, with some protesters all too eager to take the bait.