Chapter 1. Growing Up in Vienna (1949-1967).- Chapter 2. Experiencing the Unfolding of the Peace Process (1967-1990).- Chapter 3. From the Madrid Conference to the Conclusion of the First Oslo Accord (1991-1993).- Chapter 4. The Oslo Process of Trial and Error Unfolds (1993-1999).- Chapter 5. From Hope Under Benjamin Netanyahu to Disaster Under Ehud Barak (1999-2001).- Chapter 6. The Need to Rethink Possible Action (2001).- Chapter 7. Maintaining the Struggle for a Two-State Solution under Sharon and Olmert (2001-2009).- Chapter 8. The Netanyahu-Obama Years (2009-2017).- Chapter 9. Seeking a Way Forward: Brainstorming in Norway and the Conclusions of the Abraham Accords (2017-2021).- Chapter 10. Netanyahu’s Election Victory of 2022: The Challenge Ahead.- Chapter 11. My Suggested Conclusions for Future Peace Activists.
Yair Hirschfeld has since 1979 been involved in promoting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He led the non-official Israeli team in Norway and became then a member of the official Israeli negotiating team leading to the conclusion of the Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles of September 1993. In backchannel and track-two negotiations Hirschfeld developed peace-building concepts in coordination with all Israeli governments.
This book describes the evolution of the Israeli-Palestinian peace-seeking process from 1967 to the present. Written from the perspective of Israel’s most prominent peace activist, it offers an unparalleled insider’s account of a crucial set of negotiations intended to settle a seemingly endless conflict. Hirschfeld’s historical narrative provides a wealth of knowledge and experience that is indispensable to anyone seeking to seriously approach the Middle East conflict. The book’s thorough analysis of the successes and failures of all peace efforts since the Six-Day War represents an essential asset for future negotiators, politicians, diplomats and peace activists alike. Moreover, the book shares pearls of human wisdom that anyone searching to resolve conflicts in general should take to heart. The book is of burning topicality. Not only with a view to the normalisation process between Israel and Arab countries that began with the recent Abraham Accords (2020) but also regarding the new “age of war” in Europe, sparked by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
“The memoir is most impressive and detailed. For peace process “junkies” this is a goldmine of information, including much that is not well known or understood. It is a sourcebook for those who succeed us in trying to bring peace to the region.“
—Dan Kurtzer, former US ambassador to Egypt and Israel and author of several books on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process
"The thorough analysis of success and failures of all peace efforts since the Six Day War will provide precious support for future negotiators, politicians, diplomats and peace activists. The book is burning topicality." —Susanne Wasum Rainer, German Ambassador to Israel since 2018