'No Israeli security without Palestinian freedom; no Palestinian freedom without Israeli security'

François Picard is pleased to welcome Dr. Gershon Baskin, Middle East Director of the International Communities Organisation and former hostage negotiator. One thousand days after the outbreak of the Gaza war, Gershon Baskin shares a stark assessment of Israel's political and strategic trajectory. Rather than framing the anniversary solely as a military milestone, he argues that it represents a profound failure of political leadership, strategic planning and institutional accountability. His analysis moves beyond battlefield developments to examine the deeper dynamics shaping the conflict: the absence of a national inquiry into October 7, the growing disconnect between military operations and political objectives, the psychological distance separating Israelis and Palestinians, and the failure of Israeli politics to seriously confront the Palestinian question.

At the same time, Baskin advances an explicitly strategic rather than purely moral argument for peace. He contends that Israel's long-term security and Palestinian freedom are mutually dependent, and suggests that an emerging regional economic agenda, backed by Gulf states and potentially driven by an unusually influential American administration, could create a rare opening for a negotiated two-state settlement. Whether one agrees with his conclusions or not, he offers a comprehensive critique of prevailing assumptions and a vision that reframes peace not as idealism, but as geopolitical necessity. ...