Gershon Baskin feels that the main interest (for Israelis) is in getting those hostages home and that it is extremely unlikely that after seven weeks, Hamas cannot locate the rest of the hostages as they are likely propagating that news to stall the negotiations.
Gershon Baskin believes that we are living through a terrible time. But these horrors are precisely why now is the time that Americans, along with all of the OECD countries, together with Israelis and Palestinians must embrace a peace of no choice.
Gershon Baskin shares with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer his thoughts regarding why Hamas is delaying the 2nd Group of Israeli Hostages.
Diesmal aber gebe es zwei große Unterschiede, sagt Baskin, der selbst nicht an den Verhandlungen beteiligt ist: Gilad Shalit sei als einzelne Geisel von der Hamas während seiner mehr als fünfjährigen Gefangenschaft gut versorgt worden.
Gershon Baskin thinks that assuming the truce holds and that Israel frees Palestinian prisoners as planned, “there is a chance” that all the civilian hostages being held by Hamas will be released.
Gershon Baskin says that when the current hostages arrive in Egypt, their identities will be verified. They will then be given a medical check and sent to Israel,
Gershon Baskin senses that there are two big differences, between the current hostage situation and when there was only a single hostage, Gilad Shalit who was well looked after by Hamas during his more than five years of captivity.
Gershon Baskin handelte in der Vergangenheit direkt mit der Hamas Deals aus, damit israelische Geiseln freikommen. Im Interview schätzt er ein, welche Faktoren die Erfolgschancen des bevorstehenden Austauschs mindern könnten.
Gershon Baskin, a former Israeli negotiator who was part of the 2006 negotiations to release the captured soldier Gilad Shalit, as well as negotiations over a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in 2011 shares his insights regarding the hostage situation.
Gershon Baskin shares with Erica Ruth Hill-Yount and Poppy Harlow his thoughts on why there is this delay in the release of the Hostages.