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Gershon Baskin (; born 2 May 1956) is an Israeli columnist, social and political activist, and a researcher of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and peace process. In February 2025, Baskin, together with Samer Sinijlawi, founded the Alliance for Two States.
Baskin is the Middle East Director of International Communities Organisation. ICO is a UK-based NGO working in conflict zones with failed peace processes.
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 that position that he created, he became Israel's first civil servant responsible for the relations between the Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel.
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.
After the outbreak of the first Intifada in March 1988, Baskin founded the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI), 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. He served as its co-chairman until January 2012. IPCRI was a joint Israeli-Palestinian public policy think and do-tank. Baskin co-directed IPCRI for 24 years from 1988 until the end of 2011.
In mid-1989, Baskin launched in IPCRI the first three Israeli–Palestinian working groups: Economics and Business, the Future of Jerusalem, and the water experts working group.
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, Baskin, alongside Zakaria al Qaq and Hanna Siniora, organized and facilitated over 2,000 Israeli-Palestinian working group meetings on topics such as security, economy, water, and peace education.
In the beginning of 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 Ahmed Jabari, the Head of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) and presented him with the seventh draft of the long-term ceasefire proposal. Later that day Israel killed Jabari in an air strike and started Operation Pillar of Defense.
Even after the assassination of Jabari, 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 Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.G. Baskin, Negotiations for Hostages, Times of Israel, 18 November 2023. Re-accessed 3 January 2024. Baskin continued to negotiate in coordination with the Israeli officials coordinating Israel's efforts Lior Lotan and Yaron Blum.
Shortly after the October 7 attack, Baskin cut ties with Hamad who became the Hamas spokesperson for the war and on Lebanese television justified the attack, the killing of innocent Israelis and promised that Hamas would repeat this attack over and over.
As the Gaza war continued and with the hope of trying to save the lives of more Israeli hostages and innocent Palestinians in Gaza, he renewed his contacts with Hamad and other Hamas leaders. Baskin was also in contact with authorities in Qatar, Egyptian Intelligence, and the Israeli government and intelligence community authorities. In September 2024, Baskin received the agreement of the Hamas leadership through Ghazi Hamad for “The Three Weeks Deal” during which time Hamas would release all of the remaining Israeli and foreign hostages, the war would end, Israel would withdraw from Gaza and release an agreed to number and names of Palestinian prisoners.
In July 2025, he reported that Hamas also "is prepared for there to be a Palestinian professional civilian government take control of Gaza ... and that Hamas will not be part of that government."
The joint proposal also brings forward the Two States Solution based in the June 4, 1967 lines, with an agreed to 4.4% land swap and a solution for Jerusalem, based on two capitals in Jerusalem and the Old City of Jerusalem under a Trusteeship of five countries including Israel and Palestine.
He was a member of the steering committee of the Israeli Palestinian Peace NGO Forum until 2016, a member of the Board of Directors of ALLMEP – the Alliance for Middle East Peace, also until 2016, and was a member of the Israeli Board of One Voice Movement. He remains a member of the editorial committee of the Palestine–Israel Journal.
As part of their ICO activity, in August 2021, Baskin joined James Holmes in establishing the Holy Land Bond, a new investment fund registered in the UK, aimed at investing in housing projects for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, integrated housing projects for Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in Israel's "mixed cities", and employment and industrial zones that are either cross-boundary Israeli-Palestinian, or for Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel.
He is co-director of the newly formed International Communities Organisation – Middle East Branch, which is connected to the UK-based International Communities Organisation (ICO).
Gilad Shalit negotiations (2006–2011)
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 senior Israeli Mossad Officer 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.
Continued talks with Hamas (2011–2023)
Immediately after Shalit's return, Baskin and Hamas began discussing the possibility of negotiating a long-term ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. 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.
2023–present
After the 7 October attacks, Baskin continued his efforts to bring about the release of hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the PFLP, and individuals. Baskin has been in contact with authorities in Qatar, Egyptian Intelligence, and the Israeli government and intelligence community authorities. Days after the October 7 attack, Baskin begin negotiating (unofficially) for the release of all of the women and children hostages in exchange for the women and minor Palestinian prisoners. Baskin communicated with members of the Israeli War Cabinet.
Other back channels
In 2022–2023 (prior to 7 October), 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. One of the back channels was between former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Alkidwa. Working together with longtime Fatah activist Samer Sinijlawi, they negotiated a joint proposal for the future signed by Olmert and Alkidwa in July 2024.
Other activities
Since stepping down as co-director of IPCRI on 31 December 2011, Baskin became the co-chairman of the Board of IPCRI until April 2018.
Journalism
Baskin was a columnist for The Jerusalem Post between 2005 and 2023. His weekly column is currently published in English in the blog pages of The Times of Israel, as well as in the Palestinian Al Quds newspaper in Arabic and Hebrew.
Awards
Baskin has been awarded:
Publications (books)
Baskin has published thousands of oped articles in many publications.
External links
Categories: Official Website, 1956 Births, American Emigrants To Israel, American Zionists, Israeli Activists, Israeli Columnists, 21st-century Israeli Jews, Living People, Jewish American Community Activists, American Community Activists, Alumni Of The University Of Greenwich, New York University College Of Arts & Science Alumni, Activists From New York City, Civil Rights Activists From New York, Israeli–palestinian Peace Process, 21st-century American Jews
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