Gershon Baskin claims that the only way for Israel to reach a sustainable relationship with Hamas is to pursue a peace agreement with the Palestinians’ pragmatic leadership in the West Bank.
Ori Nir
In recent months, Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, the founder and co-chair of the Jerusalem-based Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) was deeply involved in dialogue with Hamas leaders and with Israeli security officials in trying to forge a stable, ceasefire agreement.
Israel’s launching of the aerial war in Gaza ended his efforts, but is now – ironically – resulting in Israeli-Hamas efforts to reach exactly that kind of long-lasting ceasefire. Baskin talks about his role as a go-between, and asserts that the only way for Israel to reach a sustainable relationship with Hamas is to pursue a peace agreement with the Palestinians’ pragmatic leadership in the West Bank, headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Click Here to Listen to the Interview with Israeli Peace Activist Gershon Baskin.
Gershon Baskin believes that removing Hamas from power in Gaza and demilitarizing the Strip must happen—it is Israel's obligation to achieve these war objectives—but this can be accomplished after the hostages are returned.
