On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Dr. Gershon Baskin, former Israeli Negotiator involved in securing the release of Israeli hostages and the International Communities Organisation’s Middle East Director. He discusses the unpopularity of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has ‘no coherent strategy’ in the war against Palestinians in Gaza, the US’ ability to have stopped the war early on, and the effects of the October 7 raid on Israeli society. The interview takes a heated turn, where Afshin Rattansi and Dr. Baskin debate on reports from Israeli media on what really happened on that date. Following this exchange, he discusses Netanyahu’s long game since the 2000s to prevent a two-state solution, his own role in negotiating the release of Gilad Shalit, and trying to secure a long-term ceasefire with Hamas, which was stopped by an assassination conducted by Israel. Also, why most Israelis continue to support the IDF’s bloody onslaught, why he considers a one-state solution unviable and a two-state solution the only path to peace, and why he believes Israel has committed war crimes and crossed moral red lines…but hasn’t committed genocide, and much more.
