Yossi Beilin Empire
Empire

Yossi Beilin: ‘Thwarting this effort’

Former Israeli politician discusses the hopes that Oslo brought with it and how they were dashed.

Hamas and the extreme organisations on the Palestinian side, and the rightist organisations on the Israeli side thwarted this (Oslo) effort. The main point if you ask me was the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

by Yossi Beilin, former chairman of Meretz-Yachad party

A former member of Knesset and former chairman of the Meretz-Yachad party, Yossi Beilin served as a minister under three different Israeli prime ministers – Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak.

He played a key role from the Israeli side in the secret channel that led to the Oslo Accords in 1992.

Beilin’s subsequent negotiations with Mahmoud Abbas in 1995 laid the foundation for the Clinton parameters. In addition, he was a negotiator in the Taba talks in 2001, and co-launched the Geneva Initiative in 2003 along with Yasser Abed Rabbo of the Palestinian side.

He is the author of several books, including Israel: A Concise Political History, Touching Peace, The Manual for Leaving Lebanon, His Brother’s Keeper , and Manual for a Wounded Dove.

Beilin joined Empire from Jerusalem to speak about the hopes that Oslo brought with it, how they were dashed, and how Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination were a fatal blow to the peace process.

 

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