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Was Gershon Baskin's involved in the Sharm El-Sheikh negotiation?
Executive summary
Gershon Baskin is widely reported as a long-time back-channel operator between Israel and Hamas and says he worked on elements of the diplomatic architecture that fed into the Sharm El‑Sheikh talks, but he also states he was not physically present at the Sharm El‑Sheikh signing and does not know all its final terms [1] [2]. Multiple outlets quote or interview Baskin about his advisory and channel-building role, while mainstream reporting credits Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and U.S. envoys as the principal mediators at Sharm El‑Sheikh [3] [4] [5].
1. Who Gershon Baskin is — the experienced back‑channel operator
Gershon Baskin is presented in several accounts as a veteran Israeli mediator who previously ran the secret channel that helped secure the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange and who has cultivated long-term contacts inside Hamas — background that makes him a logical interlocutor for negotiators and envoys working toward a Gaza deal [6] [1].
2. Baskin’s own account: involved in discussions but not at the signing
Baskin’s public statements make a clear distinction: he says he “has been in discussions regarding all of the issues” and that he helped draft and transmit proposals to Hamas and to U.S. intermediaries, yet he explicitly states he “was not in Sharm el Sheikh and I don’t know what has been decided” at the signing [2]. Several interviews and his Substack repeat that stance [7] [2].
3. Independent reporting: principal mediators named, not individual back‑channelers
Major reporting on the Sharm El‑Sheikh negotiations names Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and U.S. envoys (including Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and others) as the visible mediators who presided over technical talks and the final agreement; press coverage shows official delegations and named negotiators in the room, with images and briefings identifying national delegations as central to the process [4] [5] [3].
4. Where reporting and Baskin’s claims align
Both Baskin’s accounts and independent coverage acknowledge that informal, secret, and back‑channel contacts helped shape proposals that were on the table in Sharm El‑Sheikh. Baskin says he assisted in drafting an American proposal presented to Hamas and engaged with Steve Witkoff; reporting documents the arrival of U.S. envoys and the use of intermediaries to bridge positions between Hamas and Israel [2] [4].
5. Where they disagree or leave gaps
Baskin’s public comments and Substack assert he had a substantive role in drafting and relaying proposals, whereas mainstream outlets emphasize state and official mediators. The U.S. embassy, Israel’s foreign ministry and other official parties did not confirm Baskin’s specific role at the time some outlets wrote about it, creating a gap between Baskin’s self‑description and independent, on‑the‑record confirmation [1]. Available sources do not mention a formal government appointment of Baskin as an official Sharm El‑Sheikh mediator.
6. How to interpret “involved in the negotiation”
“Involvement” can mean anything from formal presence at the negotiating table to behind‑the‑scenes drafting and transmission of ideas. Baskin characterizes his contribution as working the back channel and aiding transmission of proposals, not as signing or sitting at the table at Sharm El‑Sheikh; mainstream coverage focuses on the official mediators and delegates who signed or were photographed at the event [2] [5] [4].
7. Why this distinction matters politically
Attributing credit for a breakthrough like the Sharm El‑Sheikh agreement affects narratives about who holds influence — state actors (Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, U.S.) or non‑state intermediaries and activists. Some commentators and outlets highlight the centrality of presidential envoys and regional intelligence chiefs, while others note that decades‑old personal ties and back channels (such as those Baskin cultivated) made bridging proposals practicable [5] [1].
8. Bottom line and recommended cautious reading
Available sources show Gershon Baskin as an experienced back‑channel interlocutor who says he helped draft and pass proposals that influenced the talks, but he and several outlets state he was not physically at the Sharm El‑Sheikh signing and no source in the set confirms an official, on‑the‑record mediator role for him at the summit [2] [1] [4]. Readers should treat claims of his centrality to the formal negotiations as plausible background context rather than as independently verified fact, and note that official reporting attributes the core mediation to state actors [5] [3].