The Process: 1,100 Days That Changed the Middle East

Savir gives detailed accounts of his experiences as the chief-negotiator for Israel during the Oslo Peace Accord and thereafter. The experiences are candid and intimate, especially his relationship with Abu Ala. From reading the book, it is obvious that Israelis and Palestinians leaders and negotiators wanted what was best for their people. So, it was indeed heart-wretching to read further in the book to learn the various ways certain people destroyed the peace process. From a person who studied the conflict, lived in Israel, and has friends on both sides, I can honestly say that my friends' and many peoples' lives would have been better off had the Oslo Peace Accord been implemented in its entirety.

Uri Savir, who played a key role in the secret Oslo negotiations that occurred during the early 1990's, wrote this book describing his experience in the peace talks. Savir does a remarkable job of detailing the behind-the-scene dealings that occured while the public was kept (in the early parts of the negotiations) in the dark. However, my one main complaint, and this is probably unavoidable on his part, is that it is blatantly from an Israeli perspective. While he always speaks of his Arab counterparts in friendly terms, Savir shows his ignorance of their point of view in several places. I say this cultural naivete is unavoidable because throughout the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, there has been, sometimes on purpose, a recurring theme of refusing to see the conflict through the Arab perspective. It is naturally impossible for one culture of people to sympathize with another group of people. So I commend Savir for his behind-the-scenes analysis, but be careful of his subtle Israeli point of view/bias.

Uri Savir provides an unmatched view of the ever troublesome attempted peace process between the Israeli's and Palestinians. Savir, an Israeli Foreign Minister, provides a very balanced portrayal of the events that led up to the historic Oslo Peace agreements and the period through Rabin's assignation. The book reads as a personal journal but is well documented of the events surrounding this three year period. If you are interested in the Arab-Israeli conflict or the intricacies and absurdities of international diplomacy this book is a must.

It is difficult to do justice to this work and its author, if one is entrenched in traditional views of the conflict. But Savir deserves better than that. While being emotionally involved (it would be inhuman to expect the opposite of him), he gives an accurate description of the failings, and triumphs, on BOTH sides of the conflict. He displays a rare and keen understanding of how each side sees itself as David and the other as Goliath, and why they are both correct, and both mistaken in that assessment. This is an excellent description, from the inside, of a sometimes brutal negotiating process that highlights the brilliant and creative thinking that both sides were able to arrive at, as well as every difficult, frustrating, painful inch along the way. It is impossible for a thinking person, regardless of his/her initial position, to see the conflict in the same terms after reading this work.

Uri Savir writes a very interesting and accessable history of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process. The first 150 pages read much faster than the last and the dicsussion of the aftermath of Yitzhak Rabin's Murder and the affect on the peace process could have more detail, but overall a very readable and intersting story.