The one sentence Gadi Eisenkot can and should say | Gershon Baskin

Dr. Gershon Baskin calls on Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot to say a simple sentence: that if the Palestinians choose leaders truly committed to peace, they will find a partner in Israel. Baskin argues that the elections in Israel (October 27) and Palestine (November 28) create a rare moment, and that Israel's silence on the conflict does not make it disappear. He warns that Israeli politics is moving rightward, but the lesson of October 7 is that the conflict cannot be managed forever.

Dr. Gershon Baskin, in an opinion piece in Maariv, directly addresses Yashar party chairman and prime ministerial candidate Gadi Eisenkot, calling on him to say one simple sentence: that if the Palestinian people choose leaders truly and sincerely committed to genuine peace between the nations, they will find a partner for peace in Israel. Baskin argues that the elections in Israel on October 27, 2026 and the elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council on November 28, 2026 create a rare moment in which both peoples will make political decisions almost simultaneously. He warns that Israeli politics is moving sharply rightward following the trauma of October 7, but the central lesson is that the conflict cannot be managed forever. Baskin notes that the words "Palestinian state" have become almost forbidden in Israel, but the fact that the need to resolve the conflict is not discussed does not make it disappear. He emphasizes that three years of devastating war have not erased the Palestinian aspiration for freedom and self-determination, and that in September 2026 a large majority of the world's states expressed public support for the two-state solution. Baskin argues that the sentence he proposes does not obligate Eisenkot to use the words "two states" or to predetermine borders, Jerusalem, settlements, refugees, or security arrangements. He warns that if the answer from Israel is silence, it will be difficult to convince Palestinians that diplomacy is worthwhile. The article concludes with a call for Eisenkot to open a door to a different future.