The peace process in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has taken shape over the years despite the ongoing violence which has prevailed since the beginning of the conflict. Since the 1980?s, Gershon Baskin has been on the forefront of efforts to research and develop the terms upon which a viable peace can be agreed to in both the Palestinian–Israeli conflict and the broader Arab–Israeli conflict. In his dynamic presentation, Gershon focuses on the numerous failures and success of the process, sharing the valuable lessons learned from his years of first-hand experience as the advisor to leaders of both sides of the conflict.
Asking “Is Israeli-Palestinian peace still viable? Is the two-states for two-people option still alive?” Gershon discusses proposals/plans that could have changed the course of history and shares his candid insights on how to run/not run a peace process, including his own list of do’s and don’ts of peace negotiations. Gershon will share his recommendations as to the efficacy of interim processes with long term goals, how to succeed in the current stage of the process, and what we can learn from other conflicts and peace processes. When it comes to understanding the complexities of the Middle East, few are as experienced as Gershon Baskin to impart expert insights and candid appraisals of the situation.
Speaker: Gershon Baskin, Ph.D.
Dr. Baskin was the initiator and the person responsible for the secret back channel between Israel and the Hamas that successfully negotiated the release of Israeli abducted soldier Gilead Schalit in October 2011 after more than five years of imprisonment. His book, The Negotiator: Freeing Gilad Schalit from Hamas was published in 2013.
As Co-Director and founder of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) Dr. Baskin was part of a joint Israeli-Palestinian public policy “think” and “do” tank located in Jerusalem. Since January 2012, he is the Co-Chairman of IPCRI’s Board of Directors. He initiated the founding of IPCRI in 1988 following ten years of work in the field of Jewish-Arab relations within Israel, in Interns for Peace where he lived for two years in the Israeli-Palestinian village of Kufr Qara.
Dr. Baskin is also a member of the steering committee of the Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGO Forum, a member of the Board of board of the Alliance for Middle East Peace and a member of the Editorial Board of the Palestinian Israeli Journal. Since January 2012, Dr. Baskin has been working to develop renewable energy projects around the Middle East.
Moderator: Trevor Page
Date: Thursday, March 13, 2014
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Room PE250, First Choice Saving Centre, University of Lethbridge
Free event, free parking, everyone welcome