Gershon Baskin and senior Hamas member Ghazi Hamad established a relationship that emerged out of necessity because there were no other options. That private channel succeeded when all others failed and the channel has continued to operate, even after the Shalit deal was reached, particularly when it became necessary to relay messages rapidly between the two parties to avoid military escalation.
I have yet to figure out what people on the Right propose instead of partitioning the land into two states for two peoples.
Gershon Baskin claims that before the ground operation began the Hamas fighters were all instructed to go to their families and say goodbye with the intent that they would not be returning alive from this battle, as they believe that they are dying in the name of God; in the name of Allah; in the name of Islam; in the name of Palestine; and they do it with honor.
According to Hamas sources, the Islamist movement sent a message from the deputy foreign minister in the Hamas government Ghazi Hamad to Gershon Baskin — without explicitly asking Baskin to forward the message to Netanyahu’s office, and not for the first time.
It has been alleged that Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh relayed a secret message that was passed between Ghazi Hamad, undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Gaza, and Gershon Baskin. Hamas officials “denied” that Haniyeh sent a secret message, but debate continues within the movement about a dialogue with Israel.
The story on how Haniyeh’s adviser, Ghazi Hamad, talked to Gershon Baskin conveying a message for Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel is no less the state of Palestinian Arabs who were born here for generations than it is the state of a new Jewish immigrant from Ethiopia, Russia or France.
Gerson Baskin is well connected with officials at the Defense Ministry and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), and Hamas has used the “Baskin channel” a number of times in the past in order to forward information to the Israeli leadership.
Intermediary Gershon Baskin confirms he was passed message by contact in room with Ismail Haniyeh, asking Israel to keep from escalating violence.
The book is an essential read for those interested in solving the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the human relationships as well as trust that Gershon Baskin managed to achieve during the 5 years of intensive negotiations he had is truly amazing.