Gershon Baskin

Gershon Baskin’s best advice to the new American President is STAY AWAY! Don’t raises hopes of a new American initiative.

Gershon Baskin believes that there is no credible alternative for Israel’s leadership is out there – only a slightly improved version of the original, which has proven to be a failure for almost 20 years now, marching Israel directly into the pandora’s box of bi-nationalism.

Gershon Baskin believes that the most obvious change in the past 20 years is the total lack of trust that exists today across the conflict lines.

Gershon Baskin believes that since the birth of the State of Israel and the birth of the Palestinian refugee problem, we (both) have been on the path of choosing death, not life.

Gershon Baskin believes that peace can only be reached through a negotiated agreement and that the only way to conduct successful Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is through a secret back channel.

Gershon Baskin believes that it is not a question of Right or Left – as he told young Mexican Jewish students. It is a question of whether or not you are a Zionist.

Gershon Baskin. during the years of the Oslo Peace Process (1994-1997), was an advisor to Prime Ministers’ Rabin and Peres special team on the Peace Process, where he reported directly to Peres on policies and negotiations with the Palestinians.

Gershon Baskin believes that we must rid ourselves from the policies of separation which isolate Israel and in its stead adopt a vision of securing a future based on being part of our region, of cooperating with our neighbors for our mutual benefit.

Gershon Baskin could easily propose a list of “if, then” statements, but he thinks that it is best left in the hands of the Russian conveners, and Netanyahu and Abbas, of course. If the meeting of the leaders does take place in Russia, or anywhere else, it is absolutely essential that it is not wasted solely for a photo-op, or worse – to prove, once again, that the other side does not want peace. Concrete steps with concrete outcomes must be the result of such a meeting.

Gershon Baskin thinks that the task of getting Netanyahu and Abbas to agree to anything is daunting, yet with very limited expectations, it might actually be possible to get the parties talking once again.