The strike on Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari -- which sparked eight days of bloodshed -- extinguished the prospect of a long-term truce between Hamas and Israel, Gershon Baskin, one of the mediators behind Gilad Shalit's release, told SBS.
“I believe we had a very good chance of working out a long-term ceasefire arrangement without having this war and I think the outcome might have been better,” says Gershon Baskin.
Baskin had a successful history negotiating with Jabari, who was instrumental in the capture and imprisonment of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. After five years of talks, about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for Shalit's freedom.
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In the hours before he was killed, Baskin insists Jabari was seriously considering a draft peace plan. This included a strategy for maintaining peace during minor flare-ups of violence, and in turn, providing Gaza residents with a viable alternative.
He also believes Jabari's assassination was largely driven by symbolism.
“Jabari is the head of the military operation. He is the most protected, the most important, the most powerful.
“If Israel can get to him, there's not a single person inside Hamas and extremist jihad leadership that has impunity. Israel can get every single one of them and immediately after Jabari was killed, they all went underground.”
A two-state solution isn't out of the frame in the near future though according to the solar-energy consultant.
He believes President Obama's second term will see the United States make an attractive offer to Israel in exchange for a long-term deal with Hamas.
“If we have to attack Iran to make sure that will not happen, we will attack Iran... But in exchange for the United States taking care of Iran, you are going to deal with the Palestinian issue seriously,” he said.
Gershon Baskin will visit Australia next year.
