Gershon Baskin, Ph.D.
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
The Institute was founded jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister’s Office (Zevulan Hammer and Menechem Begin). 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 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.
1978-1981
Developing community based programs of interaction and cooperation between Kfar Qar’a (A Palestinian Arab-Israeli village) 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.
Formal Education
1993 Ph.D. International Affairs, University of Greenwich
Dissertation: Sovereignty and Territory in the Future of Jerusalem
(Ph.D. Mentors and academic supervisors: Prof. Alan Dowty, Notre Dame University and Prof. Edy Kaufman, University of Maryland and Hebrew University)
1991 M.A. International Affairs, University of Greenwich (under the academic supervision of Prof. Alan Dowty, Notre Dame University) Dissertation: The Political and National Elements of a Possible Interim Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians
1978 B.A. New York University, Politics and History of the Middle East
Senior Thesis: A Political Philosophical Analysis of Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
2000 Third Party Good Offices in Hot Disputes: Harvard University and MIT under directorship of Prof. Lawrence Susskind and Prof. Roger Fisher (40 hour seminar with top conflict resolution expects in private seminar for IPCRI Co-Directors)
2000-2004 Public Dispute Multi-Stakeholder Mediation Course – 200 hours of training led by Prof. Lawrence Susskind from Harvard-MIT (and others) – environmental dispute mediation certification in the framework of JEMS – the Joint Israeli-Palestinian Environmental Mediation Service
2004 Mediation Israel – sixty-hour basic certification course on mediation
2005 – present Founding Member of the Steering Committee of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace NGO Forum, a network of more than 100 Israeli and Palestinian peace and dialogue NGO’s.
2005 – present Member of the Executive Committee of ALLMEP – the Alliance for Middle East Peace, a coalition of some 30 peace and dialogue organizations based in the US and in Israel/Palestine aimed at lobbying the US Government to increase its funding for Middle East Peace Work
2004 – 2007 Chairman of the Board of Directors, MAKOMOT – The Israeli Center for Environmental Mediation
2002 – present Member, Editorial Review Board, Human Rights & Human Welfare
1997 – Present Member, Editorial Board, Palestine-Israel Journal of Politics, Economics, and Culture
1995 - Present Member, Council for Peace and Security
1994 – 2000 Member, Board of Trustees, International Center for Peace in the Middle East
1994 – 1996 Atid - the Movement for Advancing the Peace Process
1992 – 1996 Meretz Central Council
1985 – 1988 Founding Chairman, Kehilat Kol Haneshama, Jerusalem, an alternative Synagogue affiliated with the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism
1984 – 1992 Founding Board Member, Lapid, the Movement for Teaching the Lessons of the Holocaust
1993 – Present Founder and Member of Presidency, Adam Institute, Jerusalem
1982 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.
1982 – 1993 Member of Board of Trustees, Interns For Peace
1984 – present IDF Education Corps. The College for the Training of Officers, Har Gilo,
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.
1994-1997 Advisor to Prime Ministers’ Rabin and Peres special team on the Peace Process – assisted a special team of advisors established by the Prime Minister and reporting directly to him on policies and negotiations with the Palestinians.
2000 Member of Prime Minister Barak’s expert team on Jerusalem working on preparing the Israeli positions regarding Jerusalem in the permanent status negotiations with the Palestinians.
2005- present - Special advisor and consultant to Waterbags developer Mr. Terry Spagg, seeking to transfer fresh water around the world.
2005 The Leaders Project – Under the auspices of Secretary of Defense William Cohen
2006- present Dialogue among Peoples and Cultures in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Areas (Women’s International Peace Movement, Institute for Peace Studies – Alexandria Library,
2007 Helsinki Process – Inclusive Governance – Bridging Global Divides – Creating the WANA Region (West Asia and North Africa) under the auspices of His Highness Prince Hasan bin Talal of Jordan, the Foreign Minister of Finland, the Foreign Minister of Tanzania (two conference: Islamabad and Dar as Salaam)
2009 Founding Member, the Israeli Green Movement political party, ran in the primaries for the party and was National
Coordinator for “home meetings” for the Party during the campaign. Member of the Executive Council of the Party.
2009 Participant in the Alliance of Civilizations under the auspices of Former President of Portugal Jorge Sampaio
2010 Founder and Initiator: Palestine Power & Light - a Solar Energy Utility Company for Palestine
1996 Winner of Annual Histadrut Award for Peace and Coexistence
2004 Turkish Foreign Policy Institute’s International Relations Prize for Peace
2004 World Movement for Democracy- Democracy and Peace Tribute of Courage
2005 Eliav-Sartawi Prize for Middle East Journalism, Search for Common Ground
2007 Eliav-Sartawi Prize for Middle East Journalism, Search for Common Ground
2007
Ordained
Cavaliere dell"Ordine della Stella
Solidarieta Italiana by the Italian Republic and the Italian President for peace
making
efforts. Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity Ordine della Stella della
Solidarieta Italiana
Languages
English Mother tongue
Hebrew Fluent
Arabic Moderate
Publications
Over 1,000 articles, policy documents, op-eds published in large variety of web sites and newspapers. Since February 2005, regular Columnist for the Israeli English Language Daily Jerusalem Post. The name of the column is: Encountering Peace
Web page for additional information and publications: http://www.ipcri.org http://www.gershonbaskin.org
Contact Information
Home Address: Postal Address
Rehov Avraham Nisan #4 P.O. Box 9321
Kiryat Hayovel, Jerusalem 91092 Jerusalem 91092
Home Telephone: +972-2-643-9021 Israel
Cell phone: +972-52-2381715
Personal Status
Date of Birth: 2 May 1956
Place of Birth: NY, USA
Married + three children
Immigrated to Israel: 1978