Israeli-European Young Diplomats Forum discuss role of third-party negotiations in diplomacy

Gershon Baskin, initiator of the back-channel negotiations that led to the release of Gilad Shalit, expounded upon his concrete activities as a private “third-party” negotiator both in the Gilad Shalit case as well with regard to the most recent failed cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

The Israeli-European Young Diplomats Forum has organized its year-end monthly policy talk around the issue of ‘The Role of Third-Party Negotiations in Diplomacy’. The Forum is an initiative of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations, supported by the EU Delegation to Israel, the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a number of European embassies.

Speakers at the event, which was held last week, were Dr. Gershon Baskin, Col (ret.) Dr. Eran Lerman, German Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, and Aluf Benn.

Dr. Baskin, initiator of the back-channel negotiations that led to the release of Gilad Shalit, expounded upon his concrete activities as a private “third-party” negotiator both in the Gilad Shalit case as well with regard to the most recent failed cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Dr. Eran Lerman, Deputy Head of the National Security Council at the Prime Minister’s Office, spoke on a more theoretical level on the factors that are prerequisites for a successful negotiation process.

German Ambassador Andreas Michaelis spoke on the basis of his extensive experience, both as the personal assistant to former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and as the former head of the Middle East Department at the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the various types of intervention by “third party” negotiators.

Aluf Benn, Editor-in-Chief and former diplomatic correspondent of Haaretz, focused mainly on his experiences accompanying then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the Camp David talks. He emphasized the need for a majority political backing for negotiations, even when mediated by third parties, in order to reach a positive conclusion.

This event was hosted by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-sponsored by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Israel. (EU Neighbourhood Info)