Maoz Inon (born 1975)[1] is an Israeli social entrepreneur and peace activist who has founded several tourism initiatives within Israel and the Middle East, including the Jesus Trail, Fauzi Azar Inn, and Abraham Hostel and Tour brands. Since the murder of his parents in the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Inon has become a voice for peace between Israelis and Palestinians within international media.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Early life

Maoz Inon was born in kibbutz Nir-Am in the north-western Negev. At the age 14 he moved with his family to a nearby Israeli community, Netiv Ha’asara, just next to the Israeli border with Gaza.

Career

Inon's work in the tourism industry has largely focused on attracting backpackers and independent travellers to Israel.[8] He ascribes to the idea that improving responsible tourism will also drive positive political change through boosts to the local economy.[8]

In 2005, Maoz Inon set up the Fauzi Azar Inn guesthouse in the Old City of Nazareth in a partnership with a local Arab family (The Azar Family).[9][10] The hostel was set up as a way to help rejuvenate the Old City that had struggled with high levels of crime, dilapidation and low numbers of tourists. It was also envisaged as a platform for cross-cultural dialogue between Jewish and Arab Israelis, and for education for international tourists about Israel.[9] In 2011, Maoz's guesthouse received the World Responsible Tourism Award for its commitment to sustainable community development practices.[9] That same year, British Prime Minister Tony Blair also visited the guesthouse.[11] The Fauzi Azar Inn led to a tourism revival in the Old City of Nazareth, with a number of guesthouses opening since the Fauzi Azar’s existence  and local shopkeepers reporting a growth in business.[12]

In 2007, Maoz Inon established another project in the Galilee, The Jesus Trail. The 65 km trail was inspired by Maoz's personal experience of long-distance hiking he had done across the world and a perceived need to connect the region's various religious sites and communities with a walking path.[13] The trail, on which Maoz has frequently guided groups, is committed to environmental protection and encourages local communities to take responsibility for waste disposal. In 2011, British Prime Minister Tony Blair walked the first section of the trail together with Maoz.[13]

In 2008, Inon co-founded Israel Hostels, an independent travellers' accommodation network.[14]

Together with Israeli entrepreneur Gal Mor and a collection of investors, Maoz Inon founded the first Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem in 2010.[1] Over time, the Abraham Hostels group has grown to become the largest hostel chain in Israel, with additional locations in Tel Aviv and Eilat, and a location in the Philippines.[15] The company also runs a tour operation. The Abraham Hostels and Tour Group is named after the biblical figure of Abraham, whom the owners consider as a “unifying symbol among the area’s prominent faiths” and who serves as a “fitting representation of what we hope to bring to the world".[15] While some have been critical of some of the group's ventures, such as running tours to the Occupied Palestinian Territories,[16] others have praised the company for promoting dialogue about sensitive issues in the region.[15]

Activism

On 7 October 2023, Maoz's parents, Bilha and Yakovi Inon, were killed when their house was hit by a close-range missile in the Hamas attack on Israel. After the attack, Maoz Inon has appeared on international media outlets across the world calling for an end to the violence in the region and the need for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.[2][3][4][5][7] Maoz Inon has called for the Israeli government to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas.[2][5][17] On November 7, Inon and Yaakov Godo, another Israeli who had lost a relative in the October 7 attacks, began a vigil in a mourner's tent outside the Knesset, saying they would not leave until prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu resigned.[18]

Personal life

In the early 2000s, Inon and his wife were based in Tel Aviv.[8] After the two spent several months hiking Patagonia and the Pacific Crest Trail in California, they were inspired to improve backpacking opportunities in Israel.[8]

As of 2010, Inon was based in Binyamina.[1] He is married and has three children.[8][19]

Inon's parents, who lived in Netiv HaAsara, were killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks, after a grenade launched by Hamas started a fire in their home.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Kikar Davidka's vibrant revival". The Jerusalem Post. 2010-12-30. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  2. 1 2 3 "Israeli voices questioning war are faint: 'Some people are calling us traitors'". Los Angeles Times. 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  3. 1 2 Pita, Antonio (2023-11-12). "Las víctimas israelíes que no quieren venganza". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  4. 1 2 "Maoz föräldrar dödades av Hamas: "Jag är här för att vädja om fred"". DN.se (in Swedish). 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  5. 1 2 3 "Israeli Peace Activists Who Lost Loved Ones in the Hamas Massacre Stand Their Ground". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  6. ↑ Inon, Maoz. "Hamas killed my parents, but Israel's war is not the answer". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  7. 1 2 Kristof, Nicholas; Keo, William (2023-10-25). "Opinion | 'I'm Crying for All the Victims That Are Going to Suffer'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Bryant, Christa Case (May 29, 2013). "Can backpackers solve Middle East's tourism woes?". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  9. 1 2 3 Gelbman, Alon; Laven, Daniel (2016-04-02). "Re-envisioning community-based heritage tourism in the old city of Nazareth". Journal of Heritage Tourism. 11 (2): 105–125. doi:10.1080/1743873X.2015.1044993. ISSN 1743-873X.
  10. ↑ "Crossing Divides: The hostel promoting tourism to ease Israel's tensions". BBC News. 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  11. ↑ "Quartet Representative Tony Blair visits Nazareth and Jenin, travelling along the Nativity Route". www.quartetoffice.org. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  12. ↑ Lindvert, Marta; Laven, Daniel; Gelbman, Alon (2022-11-15). "Exploring the role of women entrepreneurs in revitalizing historic Nazareth". Journal of Sustainable Tourism: 1–19. doi:10.1080/09669582.2022.2145291. hdl:11250/3045956. ISSN 0966-9582.
  13. 1 2 Raz, Dan Savery. "Walking with Jesus in the Galilee". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  14. ↑ Blackburn, Nicky (2008-04-16). "Hostelling off Israel's beaten track". ISRAEL21c. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  15. 1 2 3 Shepherd, Jack (2022-03-04). "Exploring a unifying approach to peacebuilding through tourism: Abraham and Israel/Palestine". Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 30 (2–3): 482–499. doi:10.1080/09669582.2021.1891240. ISSN 0966-9582.
  16. ↑ Yang, Connie (September 2020). "Staging Israel/Palestine: The geopolitical imaginaries of international tourism". Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space. 38 (6): 1075–1090. doi:10.1177/2399654420915573. ISSN 2399-6544.
  17. 1 2 Daniel, Ari (November 5, 2023). "The Israel-Hamas war has not quashed their compassion, their empathy, their hope". NPR. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  18. ↑ Steinberg, Jessica (November 8, 2023). "At Knesset protest, two mourners blame Netanyahu for Oct. 7, urge end to the war". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  19. ↑ Inon, Maoz. "RAMOT MENASHE TRAIL – ONE FAMILY'S STORY". Tourist Israel. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
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