'We have not cried enough': An encounter with two bereaved Israeli peace activists in Jerusalem

When a white tent was erected on 6 November in front of Israel's parliament, it seemed like it would be taken back down immediately as Jerusalem municipal officials said it didn't have the necessary approvals.

But eventually one inspector signalled to the others to leave and the tent remained.

Maoz Yinon, Ya'akov Godo and their friends settled down with a clear statement: "Until Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves, we will stay here."

The pair are familiar faces in the protest scene in Israel and are known as peace activists. 

Together they protect Palestinian shepherds in the Jordan Valley region from settler violence, transport Palestinian children from Gaza and the West Bank to Israel for medical treatments, amongst other forms of activism. 

Both men see Netanyahu as the major cause of the massacres of 7 October, which they say are a direct result of the free hand he gave settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Godo's eldest son and Yinon's parents were killed during the attack led by Hamas, yet both believe war, destruction and revenge are not the answer.

"I am a member of Kibbutz Naan; until a month ago I was the father of four sons, today I am the father of only three sons, as my eldest son, Tom, who was 52 years old, was killed in a Hamas attack in Kibbutz Kissufim," Godo said.

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