In the third episode of the Fathom series ‘Those who tried: Conversations with the Peace Processors’, Yair Hirschfeld recalls his role in the process which led to the Oslo Accords. Based on his experience in Oslo and subsequent peace tracks, that attempts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict decisively, and all in one go, do not work. A gradualist approach is what is needed, he says, arguing, ‘it’s very simple: all or nothing doesn’t work, and gradualism is very difficult but does work.’

Hirschfeld first became involved in peacemaking in February 1979 when he met Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, who asked him to become involved in Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and sent a proposal of his to the Crown Prince of Jordan and in October 1980. That process ultimately led to the Madrid Conference, and you were one of two Israeli academics who first met with PLO leaders in Oslo, Norway, which subsequently set the scene for the Oslo Accords. Hirschfeld was one of two Israeli academics (alongside the late Ron Pundak) who began unofficial and secret discussions with Palestinian officials in Oslo that led to the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the PLO. He was intimately involved in creating the Beilin-Abu Mazen agreement and worked with the parties throughout the 1990s. Since then, he has continued to work on track 2 initiatives. He recently published The Israeli–Palestinian Peace Process – A Personal Insider’s Account.

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