Although the wholesale killing of innocent people for nearly two years has abated in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, 2025, the Israeli Government continues to block the arrival of desperately needed humanitarian aid and food. Also, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) still occupy a very great part of Gazan territory. The question arises here: What will the next steps be and who will enforce them?

The issue was discussed in a video interview with Gershon Baskin by Gerald Belsky of EIR and also of the Schiller Institute, which was shown at the November 14, 2025 meeting of the International Peace Coalition (IPC). Baskin was an associate of the late Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin in promoting peace, and more recently, has played a critical role in the negotiations with the Palestinian Hamas Movement and the US.

In the interview, the Israeli expert first emphasised the importance of having ended the war in Gaza, which President Donald John Trump alone was able to force Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu to do. Many obstacles remain, he said, but “the bottom line is that everyone has to understand that Israel will never have security until the Palestinians have freedom and the Palestinians will never have freedom until Israel has security. And I think this is understood by the US administration – much more so than the first Trump Administration”.

Belsky brought up an article Baskin had written two years ago in which he argued that there must be economic development to create the basis for hope for the future. He referenced the Schiller Institute’s Oasis Plan for bringing in massive fresh water supplies and infrastructure to both Palestine and Israel.

To that, Baskin replied: “People have to see the benefits of making peace – it cannot be abstract. It has to have a direct impact on their lives… Palestinian poverty is not good for Israel. Palestinian poverty means unhappy neighbours, and we should want happy neighbours.”

He stressed: “It would also be a good step for everyone on the planet if the US cooperated with China in the reconstruction of Gaza, because no one builds infrastructure faster, more efficiently, and cheaper than the Chinese. I think that would really help the people of Gaza. It might also help lessen tensions between the US and China.”

Baskin suggested that Qatar might be able to play a mediating role between Beijing and Washington DC, and with Qatari money involved, China could be involved in the reconstruction work in Gaza. “The more cooperation, the better. The more projects actually put on the ground, the better. We have two million homeless people in Gaza – this must be dealt with quickly. This is a human disaster. For the security of the region and the world, the more cooperation that can be developed between the superpowers – US, Russia, and China – the better it is for the entire globe,” he stated.

Baskin told Belsky: “It sometimes bewilders me that this kind of cooperation does not develop, and people look at primitive conceptions of competition rather than cooperation. It is cooperation where we need to go.”

The Executive Intelligence Review (EIR) Strategic Alert weekly newsletter (Volume 39, No. 47) published this article on November 20, 2025.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das