Reviews
"Gershon Baskin is among Israel's most intrepid pursuers of peace. His book is not only a fascinating journey across the Jewish-Palestinian divide, it also provides that rarest commodity in these dark times: hope." Peter Beinart , author, The Crisis of Zionism, "Gershon Baskin, whom I have known for many years, is one of the outstanding originators of peace initiatives in our era. This is based on a deep belief in the qualities of human affinity, human dignity, and selflessness. He is a pluralist and recognizes that social behavior is essential to building peace through participation from the bottom up. Gershon promotes the art of conversation and listening, which in my mind is a major contribution to waging peace." His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, "Gershon Baskin, whom I have known for many years, is one of the outstanding originators of peace initiatives in our era. This is based on a deep belief in the qualities of human affinity, human dignity, and selflessness. He is a pluralist and recognizes that social behavior is essential to building peace through participation from the bottom up. Gershon promotes the art of conversation and listening, which in my mind is a major contribution to waging peace." -- His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, "I cross borders. I travel and meet people throughout Israel and throughout Palestine. With the exception of Gaza, which has been off-limits to Israelis since June 2007, I visit cities, towns, villages, and refugee camps throughout Palestine on a regular basis. Yes, I break the law in doing so. I am not afraid. I go and I listen and I talk, challenge, learn, and teach. I hear the same things from both sides: we want peace, but we have no partner on the other side." --from Chapter One of In Pursuit of Peace in Israel and Palestine, "Many are those who have tried to mediate between Israelis and Palestinians in their over 150-year-old conflict. Considerably fewer are those who can point to concrete achievements, in addition to being considered honest and fair by all sides. Gershon Baskin, a long-time Israeli peace activist, is one of those precious few, having successfully mediated the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit in 2011 in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. . . . Baskin approaches the conflict and its two sides in a very humane way, showing great respect for the sensitivities of both societies. In Pursuit of Peace in Israel and Palestine projects hope on every page, but it is not a naive hope. . . . It is also one of those books on the conflict that both the engaged public, including young students, and specialists can read and find interesting." -- H-Net Reviews in the Humanities & Social Sciences, "Gershon Baskin is among Israel's most intrepid pursuers of peace. His book is not only a fascinating journey across the Jewish-Palestinian divide, it also provides that rarest commodity in these dark times: hope." -- Peter Beinart , author, The Crisis of Zionism, "I cross borders. I travel and meet people throughout Israel and throughout Palestine. With the exception of Gaza, which has been off-limits to Israelis since June 2007, I visit cities, towns, villages, and refugee camps throughout Palestine on a regular basis. Yes, I break the law in doing so. I am not afraid. I go and I listen and I talk, challenge, learn, and teach. I hear the same things from both sides: we want peace, but we have no partner on the other side." from Chapter One of In Pursuit of Peace in Israel and Palestine
