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The Peace Process: From Breakthrough to Breakdown
"Safieh presents an enthralling compilation that expresses his love for humanity through essays, articles, and lectures." - Publishers Weekly
"These brilliant essays are essential reading for all who would seek to bridge the divide between Palestinians and Israelis."—Eugene Rogan
"Afif Safieh is that rare combination of scholar, diplomat and humanist. There is much to be learned from reading his work—a compelling and principled call for examination and engagement."—Sara Roy
Afif Safieh served as Palestinian General Delegate in London; Washington, DC; and Moscow from 1990 to 2009. During this time, he met and interacted with the leading figures of our age from Yasser Arafat, John Major, and Tony Blair to Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, and Pope John Paul II.
The Peace Process: From Breakthrough to Breakdown brings together Safieh’s articles, lectures, and interviews spanning three decades, revealing the political and intellectual journey of one of Palestine’s most skilled and distinguished diplomats.
His writings, which centre on the Palestinian struggle for independence, are a testament to his vision and humanity and provide a unique map of Palestinian diplomacy over the last three decades.
Born in Jerusalem in 1950, Afif Safieh is Roving Ambassador for Special Missions for the PLO and the Fatah Deputy Commissioner for International Relations. He served as Head of Mission in London, Washington and Moscow, as well as to the Holy See and the Netherlands. During his service in the Netherlands he was involved in the 1988 Stockholm negotiations that led to the first official and direct American-Palestinian dialogue. He also served as Deputy Director of the PLO Observer Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva, and was in charge of European Affairs and UN institutions at Yasser Arafat’s office in Beirut.
After twenty-seven years of exile, Afif Safieh was the first PLO official to return to Jerusalem for a visit in December 1993, but was denied family reunification in his home town. He lives in London with his wife and daughters.
"These brilliant essays are essential reading for all who would seek to bridge the divide between Palestinians and Israelis."—Eugene Rogan
"Afif Safieh is that rare combination of scholar, diplomat and humanist. There is much to be learned from reading his work—a compelling and principled call for examination and engagement."—Sara Roy
Afif Safieh served as Palestinian General Delegate in London; Washington, DC; and Moscow from 1990 to 2009. During this time, he met and interacted with the leading figures of our age from Yasser Arafat, John Major, and Tony Blair to Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, and Pope John Paul II.
The Peace Process: From Breakthrough to Breakdown brings together Safieh’s articles, lectures, and interviews spanning three decades, revealing the political and intellectual journey of one of Palestine’s most skilled and distinguished diplomats.
His writings, which centre on the Palestinian struggle for independence, are a testament to his vision and humanity and provide a unique map of Palestinian diplomacy over the last three decades.
Born in Jerusalem in 1950, Afif Safieh is Roving Ambassador for Special Missions for the PLO and the Fatah Deputy Commissioner for International Relations. He served as Head of Mission in London, Washington and Moscow, as well as to the Holy See and the Netherlands. During his service in the Netherlands he was involved in the 1988 Stockholm negotiations that led to the first official and direct American-Palestinian dialogue. He also served as Deputy Director of the PLO Observer Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva, and was in charge of European Affairs and UN institutions at Yasser Arafat’s office in Beirut.
After twenty-seven years of exile, Afif Safieh was the first PLO official to return to Jerusalem for a visit in December 1993, but was denied family reunification in his home town. He lives in London with his wife and daughters.
- GenresMiddle EastNonfiction
290 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
64 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 15, 2011
I received this book for free in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway
Starting in 1990, Afif Safieh spent eighteen years as head of the Palestinian delegation to a number of governments. This collection of speeches and writings spans both his career and the ten years preceding that appointment.
As the Palestinian side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been long underrepresented, this does provide significant insight into the PLO's positions and thoughts with regard to the peace process. As a piece of historical material, it should be a valuable resource for historians studying the period.
But, as it is a collection of independent essays on mostly the same topic, it becomes repetitive for the general reader. As any speaker would, Safieh uses the same quotes, the same anecdotes, and the same turns of phrase throughout the various works. While it does provide, from a historical perspective, a consistency of thought worth acknowledging, it can be tiring to read the same thought on comparing Israelis and Palestinians to two men jumping out of a burning building for the third time.
Still, bringing a new perspective is valuable in and of itself, and those interested in the conflict would be well served by adding this to their library.
Starting in 1990, Afif Safieh spent eighteen years as head of the Palestinian delegation to a number of governments. This collection of speeches and writings spans both his career and the ten years preceding that appointment.
As the Palestinian side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been long underrepresented, this does provide significant insight into the PLO's positions and thoughts with regard to the peace process. As a piece of historical material, it should be a valuable resource for historians studying the period.
But, as it is a collection of independent essays on mostly the same topic, it becomes repetitive for the general reader. As any speaker would, Safieh uses the same quotes, the same anecdotes, and the same turns of phrase throughout the various works. While it does provide, from a historical perspective, a consistency of thought worth acknowledging, it can be tiring to read the same thought on comparing Israelis and Palestinians to two men jumping out of a burning building for the third time.
Still, bringing a new perspective is valuable in and of itself, and those interested in the conflict would be well served by adding this to their library.
October 30, 2023
This is a collection of several speeches and conferences by a Palestinian diplomat who has held various important posts mostly in Europe throughout a few decades.
I've had it on the bookshelf half-read for a while and after the recent events in Palestine I decided to pick it up again.
It definitely requires the reader to be already familiar with the long history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. If you do, it gives you an interesting perspective of someone who has had a privileged position in it.
It is very evident how the speech evolves, starting from an approach more open to peace and non violent fight, to a different one which is still peaceful but also growing more impatient for an at least acceptable solution, disappointed by the fact that it hasn't come yet, in spite of the Madrid and Oslo talks, pretty pessimistic view which is understandable after decades of failed attempts.
The last piece is from 2005 and it closes on a positive note after the Palestinian elections. Unfortunately we know what happened shortly after. It is very sad seeing that over the year the life of Palestinian only got worst and that the fight for liberation seems more far than even from a successful one.
I've had it on the bookshelf half-read for a while and after the recent events in Palestine I decided to pick it up again.
It definitely requires the reader to be already familiar with the long history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. If you do, it gives you an interesting perspective of someone who has had a privileged position in it.
It is very evident how the speech evolves, starting from an approach more open to peace and non violent fight, to a different one which is still peaceful but also growing more impatient for an at least acceptable solution, disappointed by the fact that it hasn't come yet, in spite of the Madrid and Oslo talks, pretty pessimistic view which is understandable after decades of failed attempts.
The last piece is from 2005 and it closes on a positive note after the Palestinian elections. Unfortunately we know what happened shortly after. It is very sad seeing that over the year the life of Palestinian only got worst and that the fight for liberation seems more far than even from a successful one.
April 2, 2012
In the interest of full disclosure, I should start by admitting that I felt certain that I would find find nothing of redeeming value in this book, based solely on the book's title and its authorship.
Having actually read it, I must confess that there were parts that I found worthwhile.
The chapter "Anatomy of a mission - London 1990-2005" has interesting details that gives the reader an appreciation for what it is that any mission can be responsible for, what type of work they do.
Likewise, "Those were the days" presents a first-person mini-biography of Afif Safieh's life and his perception of how Middle East / Palestinian politics have changed during his lifetime.
The best part of the book, for me, was the "Interview with Gene Sharp on non-violent struggle" and I wish that all Palestinians in all movements would take Gene's suggestions to heart and put them into practice.
A fascinating aspect of the way the book is organized is that it allows one to read Afif's speeches in chronological order, as if the reader is taking the intellectual / historical / political journey with him as it happens. As new facts emerge and perceptions are altered, his speeches are adapted.
Though hindsight is said to be 20/20, such a phenomenon allows the reader to see when Afif's predictions (kept just as they were when they were originally written / spoken) went wrong (e.g. thinking that George Bush would be the peacemaker rather than Bill Clinton, declaring the end of the Arab military despite the 9/11 attack and the government attempts to use the armed forces to quash the Arab Spring uprisings, and the suggestion that Labor would be no better for an Israeli-Palestinian peace than the Likkud).
There were several places in the book where Afif made unfounded assertions or where he seemed to be giving only half-truths. Too many to list here (though I did write out a list). Among them : insisting that the Jews actually have no historical ties to the land of Israel because all modern-day Jews are descended from the Khazars, not from the ancient Hebrews; suggesting that all Palestinians worldwide should vote in Palestinian elections, even though Jews worldwide are not allowed to vote in Israeli elections ; though there have been (& still are) refugees throughout history, I am unaware of any government that recognizes the refugee status of the children or grandchildren of those resettled ; though the media have focused mostly on the PLO's terrorist actions, at least part of the blame for that has to be accepted by the PLO leadership and its PR arm which either choose to have the media focused upon it or had done a terrible job at getting them to pay attention to the more peaceful parts of the PLO ; PLO / Palestinian corruption and mismanagement didn't seem to be addressed at all, as if those factors were irrelevant to the daily life of Palestinians.
A single speech in isolation may seem impressive but when collected together in a book such as this one, repeated (self-plagiarized) ideas and phrases stand out quite visibly. The most oft-repeated concept (sometimes word for word) occurs when Afif cleverly tried to equate the Jewish past with the Palestinian present : "Palestinians ha[ve] become 'the Jew of the Zionists / Israelis ... [and have] pledged that the Jewish community would not ... be transformed into 'the Palestinians of the Palestinians'". (p. 14-15, p. 31, p. 62, p. 109, p. 208, p. 259). Another clever trick Afif uses is quoting the "enemy"'s words. He quotes Herzl's "From history we have learned that we have not learned from history" (p. 20, 51, 109-110, 229). My favorite quote (and not by a Jew) was credited to Faisal Husseini : "you do not invite Tyson into the boxing ring ; he will win ; you invite him to the chess board and you might have a chance to win". I would have preferred that he didn't repeat the quote, though (p. 144, 148, 260). Also, I am still waiting for the metaphorical "chess match" to begin - or even to be proposed by either side.
The overall (and loaded) theme of Afif's book is that the current state of Israeli-Palestinian politics are unfair because Israel usually has all the advantages - more money, a very effective military, better PR and lobbying - which the Palestinian side lacks. According to Afif, the Palestinians are very much in favor of negotiating, so long as the result of the negotiations is that the Palestinians aren't asked to accept any less than what they ask for. Replace the words in the previous sentence with "Israelis" and Afif and his ilk would exclaim that it's a ridiculous assertion because the Israelis always get what they want (as if giving up the Sinai, Gaza, and other territories were always preferable ideas for all Israelis and did not involve sacrifice).
Not recommended for the Israeli section of any public or Judaica libraries.
Having actually read it, I must confess that there were parts that I found worthwhile.
The chapter "Anatomy of a mission - London 1990-2005" has interesting details that gives the reader an appreciation for what it is that any mission can be responsible for, what type of work they do.
Likewise, "Those were the days" presents a first-person mini-biography of Afif Safieh's life and his perception of how Middle East / Palestinian politics have changed during his lifetime.
The best part of the book, for me, was the "Interview with Gene Sharp on non-violent struggle" and I wish that all Palestinians in all movements would take Gene's suggestions to heart and put them into practice.
A fascinating aspect of the way the book is organized is that it allows one to read Afif's speeches in chronological order, as if the reader is taking the intellectual / historical / political journey with him as it happens. As new facts emerge and perceptions are altered, his speeches are adapted.
Though hindsight is said to be 20/20, such a phenomenon allows the reader to see when Afif's predictions (kept just as they were when they were originally written / spoken) went wrong (e.g. thinking that George Bush would be the peacemaker rather than Bill Clinton, declaring the end of the Arab military despite the 9/11 attack and the government attempts to use the armed forces to quash the Arab Spring uprisings, and the suggestion that Labor would be no better for an Israeli-Palestinian peace than the Likkud).
There were several places in the book where Afif made unfounded assertions or where he seemed to be giving only half-truths. Too many to list here (though I did write out a list). Among them : insisting that the Jews actually have no historical ties to the land of Israel because all modern-day Jews are descended from the Khazars, not from the ancient Hebrews; suggesting that all Palestinians worldwide should vote in Palestinian elections, even though Jews worldwide are not allowed to vote in Israeli elections ; though there have been (& still are) refugees throughout history, I am unaware of any government that recognizes the refugee status of the children or grandchildren of those resettled ; though the media have focused mostly on the PLO's terrorist actions, at least part of the blame for that has to be accepted by the PLO leadership and its PR arm which either choose to have the media focused upon it or had done a terrible job at getting them to pay attention to the more peaceful parts of the PLO ; PLO / Palestinian corruption and mismanagement didn't seem to be addressed at all, as if those factors were irrelevant to the daily life of Palestinians.
A single speech in isolation may seem impressive but when collected together in a book such as this one, repeated (self-plagiarized) ideas and phrases stand out quite visibly. The most oft-repeated concept (sometimes word for word) occurs when Afif cleverly tried to equate the Jewish past with the Palestinian present : "Palestinians ha[ve] become 'the Jew of the Zionists / Israelis ... [and have] pledged that the Jewish community would not ... be transformed into 'the Palestinians of the Palestinians'". (p. 14-15, p. 31, p. 62, p. 109, p. 208, p. 259). Another clever trick Afif uses is quoting the "enemy"'s words. He quotes Herzl's "From history we have learned that we have not learned from history" (p. 20, 51, 109-110, 229). My favorite quote (and not by a Jew) was credited to Faisal Husseini : "you do not invite Tyson into the boxing ring ; he will win ; you invite him to the chess board and you might have a chance to win". I would have preferred that he didn't repeat the quote, though (p. 144, 148, 260). Also, I am still waiting for the metaphorical "chess match" to begin - or even to be proposed by either side.
The overall (and loaded) theme of Afif's book is that the current state of Israeli-Palestinian politics are unfair because Israel usually has all the advantages - more money, a very effective military, better PR and lobbying - which the Palestinian side lacks. According to Afif, the Palestinians are very much in favor of negotiating, so long as the result of the negotiations is that the Palestinians aren't asked to accept any less than what they ask for. Replace the words in the previous sentence with "Israelis" and Afif and his ilk would exclaim that it's a ridiculous assertion because the Israelis always get what they want (as if giving up the Sinai, Gaza, and other territories were always preferable ideas for all Israelis and did not involve sacrifice).
Not recommended for the Israeli section of any public or Judaica libraries.
August 11, 2011
This book is extremely interesting. Mr. Safieh has worked as a Palestinian diplomat for many years, and the book is a collection of interviews, papers, and transcripts addressing the Palestinian situation.
Safieh is well-spoken and extremely intelligent, and that readily comes through in the writings. I only wish the book had been annotated. Many situations Safieh refers to in the speeches and interviews may be well known to him or others familiar to the situation, but for the new student, more information is needed to help the reader understand the context and import of the event referenced. Had the footnotes been there, I could have given this 4 stars. If you want to understand the Palestinian perspective, this is a great choice!
Safieh is well-spoken and extremely intelligent, and that readily comes through in the writings. I only wish the book had been annotated. Many situations Safieh refers to in the speeches and interviews may be well known to him or others familiar to the situation, but for the new student, more information is needed to help the reader understand the context and import of the event referenced. Had the footnotes been there, I could have given this 4 stars. If you want to understand the Palestinian perspective, this is a great choice!
April 19, 2011
I won this book in a giveaway. For someone like me that is aware of the issue but not geared with many facts, I found this book very informative. It was at times repetitive but reinforced the ideas and emotions surrounding this conflict.
Want to read
April 22, 2011I won a free copy of this book from Goodreads. I have receive it and will be reading it soon. Thank you.
Want to read
March 19, 2011I won this book from Goodreads First Reads. Looking forward to reading it. Thanks.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews