This report was written following the second international conference of the Valdai Club Middle East Section “Scenarios and Models of the Middle East Settlement” organized by the Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti, the Institute of Oriental Studies and the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy on December 9-10, 2010. The authors start with the premise that the search for a solution to the Middle East conflict has reached yet another impasse and further delays will lead only to deadlock. The restoration of a lasting peace in the region is increasingly viewed as a near impossible task. In that light, the authors revised current approaches to the problem and proposed to return to some previously abandoned ideas that may now help move the process as well as develop new initiatives that could lead to its resolution. The main barrier hampering the solution is the lack of a unified position on the both sides of the conflict. Thus, authors propose a number of political steps that can finally lead to a stabilization in the region.

In addition to Gershon Baskin, the main authors of the report are Doctor of History, Professor Vitaly Naumkin and Doctor of History, Professor Irina Zvyagelskaya, who also took into consideration the proposals of discus¬sion participants from Russia Alexander Aksyonenok, Andrei Baklanov, Tatyana Nosenko and Veniamin Popov, as well as their foreign colleagues Yehuda Ben Meir, Shlomo Brom, Rami Dajani, Wassim Kalaajieh, Habib Malik, Mathias Mossberg, Sahar Qawasmi, Hal Saunders, Patrick Seale, Mohamed Shaker, Mustapha Tlili.

Click here to read The Middle East Conflict In Search of a Solution (Russian and English)

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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.