Defense Minister Israel Katz yesterday visited Tal Yanon Dardik in his detention cell. Derdik is suspected of involvement in a nationalist crime incident that occurred in the village of Khirbet Humsa several weeks ago. Dardik, who denies his involvement in the incident, began a hunger strike and refused alternatives to detention that were offered to him. Those close to him claim that there is a real danger to his life as a result of the hunger strike, and according to sources involved in the details, the minister came to visit to check that his medical condition is stable. The defense minister’s visit to his cell, which lasted about an hour, is considered very unusual.

Derdik’s mother, Bracha Derdik, spoke to Arutz Sheva about his condition in detention and the path that led him to the hills of Binyamin. During the interview, she presented the family’s account of events and voiced sharp criticism of the authorities’ handling of the case.

Bracha describes her son as a dedicated activist who has spent recent years working to establish and strengthen hilltop communities. According to her, he helped establish four hilltops in the Binyamin region, moving on to the next location after each community became established.

“It is important for me to say that Tal Yinon is a person who loves the Land of Israel. He is always quoting Torah,” she said. She added that even after entering detention, her son requested that a Bible and his tefillin be brought to him, and that he continues to send messages to his family encouraging them to remain strong.

“I learn, I study, stay strong. I am strong inside here as much as I can be,” she quoted him as saying.

Derdik said her son was involved over the years in establishing the outposts Geulat Zion, Kol Dodi, Givat Ahuvia Sandak, and later Kfar Tarfon. According to her, he arrived at the latter location together with his wife and their four children, along with another family.

She said the turning point came with the issuing of an administrative house arrest order. The mother rejected the allegations against her son, insisting that he had committed no crime and strongly criticized the decision to use administrative measures against him.

According to Derdik, one of the alternatives proposed was for her son to stay at his mother-in-law’s home, but the arrangement had not been coordinated with her beforehand and she opposed it. She said her son subsequently contacted Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and requested a different house arrest arrangement, but his request was denied.

Derdik was later arrested and brought before a Magistrate’s Court, which ordered his release. However, after an appeal was filed with the District Court, he was returned to detention. His mother sharply criticized the decision and the judge who handled the case, raising concerns about the ruling and referring to a previous decision made by the judge in another case.

She said the decision to keep her son in prolonged detention has been extremely difficult for the family to accept.

According to his mother, Derdik launched a hunger strike as part of his legal struggle. She claimed that his detention conditions were later worsened, that he was placed in solitary confinement, and that his ability to communicate with his wife, children, and family was restricted.

“The situation is only getting worse,” she said, claiming that her son fainted three times while in detention. She said this was the reason she chose to come to the studio and speak publicly, “We came here to cry out this great cry.”

A major part of her criticism focused on the use of administrative detention orders in Judea and Samaria. Derdik said that when Defense Minister Israel Katz previously announced the cancellation of administrative detentions against Jewish residents, the family welcomed the decision, but that the reality on the ground appears different.

She also criticized Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and the Shin Bet, claiming that administrative detention orders continue to be issued against young residents in the region.

“He knows my son is in prison. He knows my son is on hunger strike. He knows my son received an administrative detention order,” Derdik said of the defense minister.

She concluded the interview with a frustrated message: “Everyone is silent. Simply