Gershon Baskin addresses Churches For Middle East Peace (CMEP) Advocacy Conference – Gershon Baskin

Gershon Baskin of the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information speaks to luncheon at 2010 Churches For Middle East Peace (CMEP) Advocacy Conference.

CMEP works to encourage U.S. policies that actively promote a just, lasting, and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ensuring security, human rights and religious freedom for all the people of the region.

Each year advocates, leaders, experts and more gather in Washington, D.C. to become better informed, equipped and supported in raising our voices for U.S. policies and actions that work for justice and peace in the Holy Land. Faith leaders, issue analysts and policy experts provide important insights, resources and skills that prepare you to effectively express your concerns to elected officials and reach out locally to engage others.

CMEP’s Advocacy Conference brings supporters of Middle East peace to Washington to educate themselves and then advocate with their representatives. The message that CMEP supporters bring to Capitol Hill is specifically tailored to respond to the current context. The 2010 Message was Bipartisan support for peace, Gaza humanitarian crisis, shared Jerusalem, and Palestinian Christians

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Gershon Baskin

Gershon Baskin is one of the most recognizable names in the Middle East Peace process. He is a political and social entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to peace between Israel and its neighbors. His dedication to creating a culture of peace and environmental awareness, coupled with his impeccable integrity, has earned him the trust of the leaders of all sides of the century old conflict. Few people have such far-reaching and positive impacts on promoting peace, security, prosperity and bi-national relationships. Gershon is an advisor to Israeli, Palestinian and International Prime Ministers on the Middle East Peace Process and the founder and director of IPCRI, the Israeli-Palestinian Public Policy Institute. He was the initiator and negotiator of the secret back channel between Israel and Hamas for the release of 1,027 prisoners – mainly Palestinians and Arab-Israelis of which 280 were sentenced to life in prison, including Yahya Sinwar, the current Palestinian leader of the Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The prisoners were imprisoned for planning and perpetrating various attacks against Jewish targets that resulted in the killing of 569 Israelis in exchange for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Schalit. Gershon is actively involved in research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, environmental security, political strategy, peace education, economics, culture and in the development of affordable solar projects with the goal of providing clean electricity for 50 million people by 2020. He is a founding member of Kol Ezraheiha-Kol Muwanteneiha (All of the Citizens) political party in Israel. He is now directing The Holy Land Bond and is the Middle East Director for ICO – International Communities Organization - a UK based NGO working in conflict zones with failed peace processes.