Gershon Baskin, Ph.D.

Jerusalem, Israel

Telephone: +972-52-238-1715 Fax: +972-2-676-8011

E-Mail: gershon@ipcri.org

Professional Background

1988 - Present

Israeli CEO and founder of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI).

IPCRI is a joint Israeli-Palestinian public policy research think-tank working on issues in conflict between the sides. IPCRI proposes policy options to decision makers regarding the issues in the peace process. Dr. Baskin was the founder of IPCRI and has served as co-director since its establishment.

The director’s tasks include: policy development, researching, writing policy papers. fundraising, project development, administration of projects, contacts with government officials and the diplomatic community, and hiring staff.

1981-1988

Director and Founder, Institute for Education for Jewish-Arab Coexistence

The Institute was founded jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister’s Office. Dr. Baskin proposed the idea to the Prime Minister’s Office and to the Minister of Education. The work of the institute concentrated on developing models of educational programs for Jewish-Arab encounters, developing teaching plans for Jewish and Arab teachers and conducting intensive teacher training. The work of the director included working with donors, the Ministry of Education and Prime Minister’s Office, developing educational material, staff training, and facilitating encounters and teacher training.

1983-1986

Consultant, Van Leer Institute

Consultant to the staff of the Van Leer Education for Coexistence staff. Work included facilitating teacher training courses, lecturing on Jewish-Arab relations and developing curricula for schools.

1981-1982

Coordinator of Educational Programs Between Jewish and Arab Schools, Israeli Ministry of Education

The position entailed getting the Ministry of Education to recognize the value of education for coexistence, enabling schools to create encounters for their students with schools from the other sector, coordinating between various departments of the Ministry of Education (Arab, youth, Pedagogical Executive, regional district offices, etc. ) This position was created at my initiative and following considerably lobbying.

Interns For Peace, Kfar Qar’a

Developing community based programs of interaction and cooperation between Kfar Qar’a and nearby Jewish communities such as Pardes Hanna and Hadera. During this period, I also taught English in the primary and secondary schools of Kafr Qar’a.

(Ph.D. Mentors: Prof. Alan Dowty, Notre Dame University and Prof. Edy Kaufman, University of Maryland and Hebrew University)

Dissertation: The Political and National Elements of a Possible Interim Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians

Senior Thesis: A Political Philosophical Analysis of Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Memberships

· Chairman of the Board of Directors, MAKOM – The Israeli Center for Environmental Mediation

· Member, Editorial Board, Palestine-Israel Journal of Politics, Economics, and Culture

· Member, Board of Trustees, International Center for Peace in the Middle East

· Founding Board Member, Lapid, the Movement for Teaching the Lessons of the Holocaust

· Member, State Educational Community of Democracy and Coexistence Education, Ministry of Education

This committee formed by the Minister of Education met during the course of 1982 and submitted recommendations to the Ministry for the creation of a unit within the Ministry for the advancement of democracy and coexistence education.

Areas of Special Interest and Research

Miscellaneous

Developed programs for the IDF on democracy and coexistence including convincing the IDF to bring officers and professional soldiers for visits to Arab villages in Israel for meetings and encounters. Lecturer on Palestinians including the intifada, the peace process and the history of the conflict.

Awards and Prizes

2004 Turkish Foreign Policy Institute’s International Relations Prize for Peace honoring Ihsan Dogramaci