Bøger af Yossi Beilin

"Yossi Beilin occupies a unique position from which to view and comment on the birth and evolution of modern Israel. Far from being a mere observer, he has been instrumental in that evolution, having served in multiple ministerial and leadership positions in the Israeli government, among them Chairman of the Meretz-Yachad Party, Minister of Justice, Minister of Religious Affairs, and Deputy Finance Minister, among other positions. But he is perhaps best known for his pivotal role, as Deputy Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1995, in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process that led to the adoption by Israel and the PLO in 1993 of the Oslo Peace Accords. The Oslo Accords were aimed at fulfilling the "right of the Palestinian people to self-determination." The Oslo process resulted in both the recognition of Israel by the PLO and the recognition by Israel of the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people and as a partner in bilateral negotiations. This account contains many revealing and, until now, undocumented insights into those negotiations, and many others that have transpired in the evolution of Israeli politics and Middle Eastern foreign affairs during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Beilin began his career as a journalist and academic, but very quickly found himself a leader in the Labor Party, serving as its spokesperson from 1977 to 1984. Throughout the 1980s, he was instrumental in steering Israel out of the orbit of the apartheid regime in South Africa. He was elected to the Knesset by the Labor Party in 1988. Beilin also tells about the founding of the "Birthright" program he initiated, which has brought hundreds of thousands of young Jews from all over the world to visit Israel, many of whom subsequently immigrated. Beilin charts his path, from his days as a child in Tel Aviv during the austerity era, through his many political appointments and strategic roles in Israeli foreign policy. Today Beilin is the chairman of the Israeli branch of Hillel, the oldest and largest Jewish student organization in the world. He continues to write and lecture, often on behalf of the "Yes to Peace" organization, established by the Geneva Initiative to facilitate and ensure ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. His story is to a large extent the story of the State of Israel-of its founding, of episodes both shameful and courageous, from the War of Independence through the euphoria of the Six Day War and the emotional upheaval of the Lebanon wars, to the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the rise of the extreme right. Some of these episodes are recounted from a strictly personal perspective, others professional, but more often than not, both. With an afterword that speculates on the perils and promises that stem from the Gaza incursion and counteroffensive that erupted on October 7, 2023, Secrets I Won't Take With Me is essential for anyone who wants to know better the story of this hopeful, but troubled, and ever-evolving nation from the perspective of one who wrote with his own hands several important chapters in its history"--

- - To strengthen the bond between Jews in Israel and Jews living in the Diaspora and to create a Jewish meeting point, Taglit-Birthright Israel, which was initiated by Yossi Beilin, has for the last 10 years provided Jewish young adults with the opportunity to visit Israel at no charge. In his latest book, "Birthright: The True Story" (ISBN 1456452606), Beilin seeks to reveal the unexpected struggles he encountered from Jewish establishments-- both in Israel and the wider Jewish community--in finding support for these free trips. Written to expose the inner culture and politics of the existing Jewish establishments, Beilin describes the challenges he had to overcome to make the program a reality: from confronting harsh opposition, to gaining financial support from donors and eventually convincing the wider Jewish community of the necessity of such a program. "False knowledge has been spread about the creation of Birthright, or been left out completely," Beilin said. "I wanted to provide the truth behind this project." "Birthright: The True Story" looks to provide readers with insight behind the project that has sent a quarter of a million young Jews to Israel. Beilin mixes the elements of a documentary with those of a memoir to show the personal struggles he faced in order to facilitate such a monumental international project.

From the early days of the secret Oslo talks through the recent crises and new developments in Israel and Palestine, Beilin--co-author of the current "road map" to Middle East peace--has been at the center of it all. This book highlights his intensive and historic meetings.