Israeli-born teacher tells Lib Dem conference war will not solve Palestinian conflict
Magen Inon lost both his parents Bilha and Yakov in the Oct 7th massacre, and was given a standing ovation after speaking at the conference in Brighton
A London-based Israeli teacher, whose parents were killed in the Hamas October 7th massacre, has said it is “insanity” to believe that conflict with the Palestinians can still be resolved by military means.
In a speech delivered at the Liberal Democrats conference in Brighton, Magen Inon, who lost both his parents Bilha and Yakov in the massacre, said:”We who advocate for peace are also called naive, but thinking that if you just hit someone harder, they will finally get it, they will finally give up, is pure insanity.
“It is time we face reality. There are roughly seven million Jewish Israelis and roughly seven million Palestinians between the river and the sea and no one is going away.”
Inon continued:“Menachem Begin, who was both the first right wing Prime Minister of Israel and the first to sign a peace treaty, said ‘war is avoidable, but peace is inevitable’ at some point in the future.”
Introduced to the conference stage by Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran, Inon added:”“There will be an end to the violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
“The question is, how long will it take us to get there?”
Recalling his parents’ horrendous deaths, the teacher said:”We pray that they did not suffer in the last moments. And the only consolation I have is that they died together, inseparable in life and death. We miss them so much.”
Inon grew up in Netiv Haasara, the closest village to the Gaza border. He now lives and works in the UK. In his speech, he said that Israel’s actions are “not longer aimed at the safety and security of Israelis. If anything, they ongoing war in Gaza risks the lives of the hostages that are still in Gaza.”
He also used the speech to urge the Lib Dems to pressure the government to step up with efforts to support pro-peace civil society organisations in Israel and Palestine.
“Yesterday, hundreds of thousands of Israelis were marching the streets calling for a deal, calling for an end to the war and for the hostages to be brought back home,” he said.
“We need to support those Israelis who are marching in the streets. Similarly, there are Palestinians who are advocating for peace while advocating for a non-violent diplomatic process between Israel and Palestine. We need to support those forces in the Palestinian community.”
At the conference, Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel (LDFI) hosted three families of those still being held captive by Hamas. Oded Lifshitz, Or Levy and Tsachi Idan were hoping to speak to at least 36 of the party’s 72 MPs as well as some peers in one-to-one meetings.
Tom Morrison, the recently elected MP for Cheadle, met the family members on Sunday morning. “I’d like to thank the families for meeting me to talk through the campaign for their loved ones”, he told Jewish News. “It was a tough meeting, but very important. To hear first-hand what they’re going through was deeply moving. It’s vital we remember the human story to what is happening. The meeting will stay with me forever.”
Gavin Stollar OBE, honorary chairman of LDFI, commented: “Over half of the group of 72 Liberal Democrat MPs heard directly the stories of the kidnappings of Oded Lifshitz (from his daughter Sharone), Or Levy (from his brother Michael) and Tsachi Idan (from his cousin Adam). Their message is simple — their loved ones’ cases are humanitarian. Until the hostages are returned, the ‘day after’ cannot come.”
LDFI created a dedicated space at the party conference in which posters of those taken hostage following the terror attack last year were on display.
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