Gershon Baskin: Netanyahu is waging a war of revenge

Khalil Al-Hayya is running the negotiations, Netanyahu is waging a war of revenge, Barghouthi is one of the names being proposed, and everyone should advise Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to assign Al-Qudwa to lead a technocrat government.*

*Media figure Khaled Joudeh conducted an interview with Gershon, who played the role of mediator in the deal that Hamas called Wafa Al-Ahrar, where prisoner Givad Shalit was exchanged for a thousand Palestinian prisoners, and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the October 7 attack. An important interview that exposes the viewer to the secrets of what is happening, and what is hidden is greater.*

1. Mr. Gershon, since you are following the file of negotiations to release prisoners from both sides, Israel and Hamas, how and where have the negotiations reached?

Gershon - The negotiations have been renewed, but it is difficult to imagine that there will be real progress because Hamas is still demanding an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and Netanyahu is not prepared to end the war or withdraw from Gaza, and he still believes in the idea of complete victory.

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2. Why didn't we see any real progress in the negotiations and why in the first months of the war there were simple exchanges and temporary ceasefires and a year after the last operation during this crazy war it stopped. What are the variables from your point of view?

Gershon - The first ceasefire and prisoner exchange that took place in November 2023 was like "low hanging fruit." Hamas was not prepared to take care of a large group of women and children hostages. I think they did not plan to kidnap women and children and when that happened they were ready to make a deal to exchange them. There were only 39 female prisoners in Israel at the time and 190 teenage prisoners. None of them were from Gaza, and none of them killed Israelis - so it was easy to make a deal.

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3. In your opinion, is Hamas the reason for the delay in the deal? The Palestinian street displaced in tents ⛺️ and the world's followers are asking?

Gershon - The main reason for not reaching an agreement is Netanyahu's refusal to end the war. The second reason is that Hamas wants to release all Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences for killing Israelis, and Israel does not want to release these prisoners. Since before October 7, there were 559 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences.

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4. If Netanyahu is the one who obstructed the deal and the prisoners held by Hamas are being killed by random artillery rockets and Israeli aircraft, why is Netanyahu not being tried inside Israel and his defense minister on charges of killing prisoners, in light of the consensus of the leaders of the war team, such as Gantz and Galant, on this specific matter?

Gershon - Netanyahu and Galant are not being tried or investigated in Israel because Netanyahu refuses to take responsibility for anything and refuses to establish a government investigation committee headed by a Supreme Court judge who has the right to investigate and sentence anyone. Netanyahu enjoys a large majority in the Knesset and cannot be forced to do anything he does not want to do.

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5. Mr. Gershon was one of those who contributed to the conclusion of the Givad Shalit deal, through which Israel released a thousand prisoners in exchange for one soldier. In your opinion, what is the ceiling of the number that Israel is now willing to release in comparison to the number of soldiers, civilians and foreigners held by Hamas? How is the exchange process carried out mathematically and in terms of the type of prisoners?

Gershon - I do not have an answer to the question about the number of Palestinian prisoners who should be released in the deal to free the prisoners. It should be the number agreed upon by the two parties. I understand that there are agreements regarding the categories of hostages and prisoners - women, children, the elderly and soldiers - so that the soldiers get the largest number of prisoners and the highest level of "quality" of prisoners.

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6. Are there names of old prisoners held by Israel that could be released in this deal, such as Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat? And frankly, was Marwan Barghouti mentioned by the Hamas negotiating delegation?

Gershon - My understanding is that the first names on Hamas's list are the big names - the most famous and the prisoners who killed the largest number of Israelis - including Marwan Barghouti, Abdullah Barghouti, Abbas al-Sayed, Ahmed Saadat and others.

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8. We hear in the media about the imminent conclusion of a deal, and then hours later we hear about its failure and non-implementation. Why are there no great powers that guarantee the implementation of a swap deal?

Gershon - I believe that Israel is waging a war of revenge in the first place, and that the Israeli public in general views all the residents of Gaza as supporters of Hamas and supporters of October 7, and therefore the Israelis do not sympathize much with the suffering of the residents of Gaza. Also, the Israelis do not see all the suffering - what you see on television is not what the Israelis see.

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10. Gershon's name has become associated with an international movement supporting peace, and I have personally seen you in several countries alongside the former Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr. Nasser al-Qudwa and Ehud Olmert: What is happening behind the scenes? Can we see in the near future an international change and a decisive approach to the way the two men support ending the war and reaching a political solution that ends the suffering of the Palestinian people and allows them to obtain a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, as stated in the al-Qudwa-Olmert proposal?

Gershon - Ehud Olmert and Nasser al-Kidwa have no position in Israeli or Palestinian politics. I know that Dr. al-Kidwa is prepared to lead a new interim government in Gaza, which will be professional and technocratic, and will remain there for 24 to 36 months until elections are held. Nasser is a good man, not corrupt, he is honest, and he wants to help his people. But Abbas must appoint Nasser, and then he will be independent of the Palestinian Authority. Nasser al-Kidwa is an opponent of Mahmoud Abbas - so the big question now is how to convince Abbas to appoint Dr. al-Kidwa. As for Ehud Olmert, I believe that he will run in the next Israeli elections. He will not be the next prime minister, but I believe that he may get enough votes to be a member of the next government, and he should be the minister responsible for making peace with the Palestinians. That is my hope and my dream. Question

11. A segment within the Palestinian people, especially with the continuation of the genocide, sees Ehud Olmert as distant from the scene and ineffective, while another segment sees him as able to influence if Netanyahu's camp falls. What do you think and how do you see the chances of overthrowing the war camp led by Netanyahu? In short, is it possible that we will witness a real change soon in the Israeli street?

12. How does the Arab Republic of Egypt host rounds of negotiations? How do you view and follow up on this matter? What is Gershon's advice to all parties if we want to reach a deal that ends the war for Hamas and Israel? What role can the Israeli street play to pressure Netanyahu?

Gershon - No one can force Israel or Hamas to make a deal, and no one will even try. Rather, both parties must make the decision. Israel must agree to end the war, and Hamas must agree not to rule Gaza anymore. When that happens, an agreement will be concluded.

Gershon - I do not think that the Egyptian proposal to form a Palestinian unity government will succeed. Hamas does not want Fatah, and Fatah does not want Hamas. The two sides have agreed seven times in the past, including in Mecca and swearing on the Quran - and it did not work - so why is it working now?

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13. Do you see Hamas after the absence of its leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh and Sinwar, have you noticed a change in Hamas's positions or the way it deals with this issue?

After Sinwar's death, we no longer have the slightest idea who controls Gaza. We do not know whether the Hamas leadership abroad is capable of reaching an agreement that Hamas will implement inside Gaza. For this reason, when an agreement is reached, some kind of test must be conducted to determine Hamas's capabilities in Gaza and the political will necessary to implement it.

Gershon - The negotiations are headed by Khalil al-Hayya, and I do not know the rest of the members of their team other than Ghazi Hamad, but there are others I do not know who they are.

Gershon - No one can force Israel or Hamas to make a deal, and no one will even try. Rather, the two sides must make the decision. Israel must agree to end the war, and Hamas must agree not to rule Gaza anymore. When that happens, an agreement will be made.