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.
HARLOW: Yes. And joining us now is Gershon Baskin, Middle East Director of International Communities Organization. He played a key role in the negotiations to release Israeli soldiers (INAUDIBLE) a lead in 2011.
Gershon, thank you so much. Why do you believe there is this delay?
GERSHON BASKIN, MIDDLE EAST DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES ORGANIZATION: I hope that it’s over technical, logistic issues. If they are the technical and logistical issues can be resolved, maybe that’s what the Deputy Foreign Minister of Qatar will be telling us soon. I hope it’s not something more substantial, that would require a much longer delay. I’ve heard some things I’d rather not talk about what I heard. I’m wanting to hope that this is going to be resolved now.
HILL: Would those things if you heard I understand you may not want to get into details. But do they raise concerns for you that this deal may not in fact go into effect?
BASKIN: No, I think the deal will take effect. It has to this is the low hanging fruit. This is a no brainer. It’s a deal that should have been made weeks ago and it can be made now or tomorrow or the next day. Hamas, I don’t believe has any real interest in holding the women in the children, the elderly, the sick, the wounded. Israel has women and teenage prisoners that it can release without a tremendous risk to Israel. They’re all from the West Bank. None of them have murdered Israelis although some of them trying to murder Israelis. It’s a deal that’s doable and has to be done because we have to bring those hostage’s home.
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HARLOW: Why do you think it is the U.S. has a working list with some of the details of the 10 first hostages that are planned to be released but not names. And I wonder why that is Israel released the list yesterday of 300 Palestinian prisoners it would be willing to exchange. Why would Hamas not put the names out?
BASKIN: That’s the way Hamas say it works. They leave everything to the last minute, they leave you hanging and wondering, they — it’s part of the game that they play and manipulating everyone else who’s involved. It’s part of the torture, they’re putting the Israeli public through as we just heard from that mother, and if you don’t want to cry you from listening to that, then you’re not human.
HILL: It’s — you are 100 percent right on that. There, there is this confusion, frankly, head scratching moment this morning about the Red Cross. So, we just spoke with the IDF. Understandably, it doesn’t fall under their domain. But we’re not getting any answers after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this was part of the deal. The Red Cross would be going in, they would bring me medicine, they would be visiting with hostages. The Red Cross this morning says they haven’t been made aware of any agreement. Does that surprise you?
BASKIN: Nothing surprised me. Of course, the Red Cross wants to go in. That’s their mission. They go into dangerous zones. They are not participants in any conflict. They are completely neutral. And they are the best ones to do the job of receiving hostages and transferring prisoners and going in to see hostages. But they can’t do it without an agreement of Hamas. I’m sure that this was the demand of Israel. I’m quite certain that President Biden made it clear to the Qataris, that this has to be part of the deal.
But there’s no guarantee that the Qataris can force the Hamas to do anything, particularly when the Hamas leaders in Doha are not the decision makers here. The decisions are being made in the tunnels and command centers underneath the ground in Gaza. And there is not necessarily a direct communication link between Gaza and Doha.
HARLOW: There is majority support for this deal across Israel. But there are some criticism, as you know, including from Israel’s Security Minister, who pointed to the deal you made helped facilitate for Gilat Shalit, because that included the release of Yahya Sinwar who’s now of course, heading Hamas.
And when we looked at this list that Israel released of the 300 Palestinian prisoners, it would be willing to release an exchange on it mainly 16 to 18-year-old young men, some of them members of Hamas, or Islamic Jihad. Should that be of security concern to people?
BASKIN: I think this the security people have to be wide open with their eyes on these people, once they’re released to go back home. Those in particular who are considered by Israel dangerous, they’re going to go back to their homes in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, where Israel has full access to them, and can be on top of them. And there’s nothing to prevent Israel from re-arresting them, should they be planning attacks against Israel. But of course, the security people are going to have to be watching them, of course.
HILL: We have some reporting that there’s some concern within the Biden administration, that another potential consequence of this pause would be that as perhaps more journalists are allowed into Gaza, as there is more of the destruction that is maybe seen in the devastation that that could turn public opinion against Israel. Do you see that as a valid concern?
BASKIN: No, I don’t. And the Arab media, anyone who has been watching Arab media, Palestinian television stations, or any television stations in the Arab world, has seen already 47 days of destruction in Gaza, as opposed to what we see on the Israeli television, which is just the physical destruction. I watch Palestinian television stations and you see the humanitarian catastrophe that’s happening in Gaza. It is catastrophic. It is horrific to watch and bringing in more journalists to document it won’t change anything. It’s already out there. Anyone who wants to see it can see it.
HILL: Gershon Baskin, always appreciate your insight and your expertise. Thank you for being with us this morning.
BASKIN: Thank you.
