Insights
Encountering Peace: Our Palestinians, their Jews
Examining some of the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian relationship through Netanyahu’s recent proposal to allow settlers who don’t withdraw, to remain in future Palestinian state.
Examining some of the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian relationship through Netanyahu’s recent proposal to allow settlers who don’t withdraw, to remain in future Palestinian state.
Gershon Baskin works with Chemi Peres, the son of Shimon Peres to promote and encourage Arabs to put their hi-tech knowledge to use.
Gershon Baskin thinks that the Palestinians are no different from the Israelis in that they too are willing to fight and die for a territorial expression of their identity. There is only one solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – two states for two peoples. As a Jew, a Zionist and a proud Israeli he wants to have prosperous and happy neighbours living in a state of their own, next to Israel, living side-by-side in peace.
Gershon Baskin wishes that there was room for grassroots activities for peace, separate and joint, but it seems that the time is not yet ripe for that since although a majority of Israelis and Palestinians want peace, a majority on both sides, roughly the same size, does not believe that it is possible.
Gershon Baskin suggested to me in our interview at Tantur that he believed that the settlement of “Har Homa” with its homes could be offered to the Palestinians as part of land swaps, so that it could in effect become the New Bethlehem.
There is only one solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict – two states for two peoples.
The book sheds light on the labrynthian nature of the negotiations which led to the freeing of Gilad Schlait and the byzantine political forces on all sides that kept a solution at bay for years.
Now, with talks in Israel about the possible failure of negotiations once again, there are renewed utterances about the need to once again engage in unilateralism.
Passionate, engaging. One can almost feel the breath of the characters involved and can imagine as if was going through the scenarios.
The water belongs to all of the people living on the land, and no one has more rights to it than anyone else.