Gershon Baskin

Gershon Baskin (גרשון בסקין; born May 2, 1956) is an Israeli columnist, social and political activist, and a researcher of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and peace process.

In 2022-2023, (prior to October 7), Baskin was running three separate secret back channels between significant Israelis and Palestinians mainly looking toward the "day after" political changes would take place in Israel and Palestine.

Apart from his journalistic work, Baskin has been active in establishing companies and organizations which bring together Israelis, Palestinians and other Arab participants, dedicated to mutual understanding, as well as mutually beneficial social and economic projects.

He describes himself as a social and political entrepreneur.

Baskin is the Middle East Director of International Communities Organisation.

ICO is a UK-based NGO working in conflict zones with failed peace processes.

Born in New York City, Baskin became involved in the civil rights movement and the anti–Vietnam War movement during his time as a student.

In 1978, Baskin received his BA from New York University in the politics and history of the Middle East.

In September 1978, he made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) under the auspices of the Interns for Peace program.

From 1979 to 1981 he was a community worker in Kafr Qara, a Palestinian Arab village in Israel.

In 1982, Baskin served in the Israeli Ministry of Education as coordinator of education for co-existence between the Jewish and Arab school systems.

In 1983, under the auspices of the Prime Minister's office and the Ministry of Education, Baskin founded and directed the Institute for Education for Jewish Arab Coexistence, which was funded by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

In March 1988, Baskin founded IPCRI - Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information, later renamed Israel Palestine Creative Regional Initiatives, dedicated to the resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict on the basis of a "two-states for two peoples" solution.

In mid-1989, Baskin launched three Israeli-Palestinian working groups: Economics and Business, the Future of Jerusalem, and the water experts working group.

He received his MA (1992) and Ph.D. (1994) from Greenwich University.

His Ph.D. dissertation was on "Sovereignty and Territory in the Future of Jerusalem:,

In October 1992, Baskin initiated a series of secret meetings in London with former Israeli security officers and Palestinian officials from the PLO.

These talks laid down the framework for subsequent security undertaking in the Oslo Accords of September 1993.

In 1994, Baskin became an outside adviser on the peace process to a secret team of intelligence officers established by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

In 24 years as Co-Director of IPCRI, together with Zakaria al Qaq (for 14 years) and with Hanna Siniora (for 10 years), Baskin organised, led, facilitated, negotiated and mediated more than 2000 working group meetings of Israeli and Palestinian professionals covering every subject imaginable connecting Israeli and Palestinian societies.

The subjects included: security, border management, economy and business, agriculture, regional tourism, water, environment, peace education and more.

Baskin, together with other Israelis and Arabs, had worked for years to secure peace between Israelis and Arabs and had many Arab contacts.

Baskin is a certified mediator (Gishur Israel) and also certified by Prof. Lawrence Susskind, Director Public Dispute Program Harvard Law School, in the Theory and Practice of Third Party Intervention in Intractable International Conflicts.

Baskin also completed a 200 hour course through the Consensus Building Institute (Cambridge Ma.) Negotiation and Mediation Training for Environmental Professionals.

In July 2006, six days after Gilad Shalit was abducted in Gaza, Baskin unofficially opened a back channel with Hamas.

Three months later Baskin successfully got Hamas to deliver a hand written letter from Shalit to his parents which was brought to the Office of the Egyptian Government in Gaza.

He continued his behind the scenes efforts to negotiate a deal between Israel and Hamas throughout the five years and four months that Shalit was in captivity.

He became the official intermediary between senior Hamas officials and Israeli envoy David Meidan in April 2011.

Baskin's main interlocutor in Hamas was Deputy Foreign Minister Ghazi Hamad.

Baskin was involved in efforts to secure Shalit's release for more than five years.

Baskin's efforts are detailed in his book The Negotiator: Freeing Gilad Shalit from Hamas.

Immediately after Shalit's return, Baskin and Hamas began discussing the possibility of negotiating a long-term ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

He served as its co-chairman until January 2012.

On 1 May 2012, Baskin presented the fourth draft of the proposed agreement to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Barak formed a high level committee, composed of officials from the security establishment, to discuss the proposal.

After two months, the committee decided against entering into a formal agreement with Hamas even if, as proposed, it were negotiated and formalized through the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate.

In October 2012, Baskin initiated another round of talks to reach a ceasefire—this time with Ahmed Jabari, the head of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, through Hamad.

In November 2012, Baskin and Hamad met in Cairo, where they spoke with Egyptian intelligence officers and discussed possible long-term ceasefire arrangements.

On 14 November 2012, Hamad met with Jabari and was planning to send a copy of a proposed ceasefire agreement to Baskin but later that day Israel killed Jabari in an air strike and started Operation Pillar of Defense.

Baskin and Hamad remained in contact and continued to negotiate, primarily for the release of the bodies of the two Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in 2014, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, as well as the two Israeli civilians who were proven to be alive Avera Mengisto and Hisham A-Sayed.