The brutal Hamas attacks on October 7th, 2023 kickstarted a new cycle of widespread death and destruction that continues today. Countless lives lost, shattered, or irrevocably altered. Of course, mostly Palestinian, but also Israeli. Even Donald Trump is right about some things, as when he says, “It’s impossible to imagine how life can go on under such circumstances.”

Indeed, it’s easier to imagine how roads or houses or markets can be rebuilt than how people, Palestinians as well as Israelis, will deal with the scar tissue. Can the hate, despair, fear, and insecurity that caused the past 18 months, and has been exponentially compounded during that time, ever dissipate? Are kids who survived this war condemned to new cycles of rinse-and-repeat violence?

Even though those questions may be unanswerable, they are far more vital than all the talk about governance or reconstruction or peacekeeping that preoccupies diplomats. So this episode of New Thinking for a New World attempts to focus on people, Palestinians as well as Israelis, who are condemned to co-exist rather than on the Arab Plan or the Egyptian Plan or the Trump Plan. Francesca Borri is an Italian journalist who lives in Jenin, which helps give her reporting a totally different insight into what people are actually thinking. Gershon Baskin is an Israeli political activist and commentator with deep empathy for Palestinians and an even deeper commitment to looking for ways for people to live together.

What do you think: is Palestinian-Israeli peace possible? Let us know i the comment section below.

***

Find the New Thinking for a New World podcast on a platform of your choice (Apple podcast, Spotify, Google podcast, Youtube, etc.)

---

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Francesca Borri was born in Italy in 1980. She holds a Master’s in International Relations, a Master’s in Human Rights, and a Bachelor’s in Philosophy of Law. After a first experience in the Balkans, she worked in the Middle East as a human rights officer. She turned to journalism in February 2012 to cover the war in Syria as captured in her book Syrian Dust. She is also the author of books on Kosovo (2008), Israel and Palestine (2010), and Aleppo (2014). In 2017, she was shortlisted for the European Press Prize for her reporting from the Maldives, the non-Arab country with the highest per capita number of foreign fighters. Destination Paradise, the book based on that reportage, was published in 2018. She now writes for La Repubblica, Italy’s leading newspaper.

Gershon Baskin is an accomplished peace activist and entrepreneur with 46+ years of expertise in Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution. Renowned for orchestrating high-impact back-channel negotiations, including the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Founder of groundbreaking bilateral initiatives (IPCRI, Israeli-Palestinian Alliance for Two States) and trusted advisor to governments. Published author, international speaker, and recipient of multiple peace awards. Leverages deep regional insight and cross-sector collaboration to advance sustainable peace and development.