Gershon Baskin, researcher and activist, in Jerusalem, October 17, 2025. LAURENCE GEAI/MYOP FOR LE MONDE
Gershon Baskin had not felt this optimistic in a long time. "Every day we don't go back to the war. We're in the right direction," he said. The 69-year-old Israeli, an indefatigable peace activist, has since the first Intifada (1987-1993) sought a way to resolve the conflict, drawing on his vast network of contacts among both Palestinians – including the Hamas leadership – and in Israeli political circles.
Longtime director of a Jerusalem-based think tank, he played a key role in negotiating the release of French-Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was freed in 2011, five years after being abducted by Hamas, in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. In September, he contributed to a US-backed ceasefire initiative involving Arab countries and the Islamist movement. That proposal was being considered by Hamas representatives when they were targeted by an Israeli military strike in Doha on September 9 – a turning point in the war.
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