Shimon Peres

The late Israeli Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and President Shimon Peres was a towering figure in Israeli and Middle Eastern politics. But what drove the hawkish statesman behind Israel’s nuclear deterrence and early settlement policy to stake his political reputation on peace negotiations with the Arab world and the PLO, Israel’s sworn enemy?In this insider’s account, written by Avi Gil, Peres’s close confidant over almost 30 years, we witness firsthand the tense moments during the historic Oslo talks, kept under the strictest secrecy, when the explosive revelation that Peres was directing direct communications with Yasser Arafat’s representatives for the first time threatened to leak to the press.We also see the fervent discussions and arguments between the personalities involved in the peace process, including Peres’s rivalries with the Prime Ministers he served under, including Rabin, Sharon and Netanyahu. Although one of Peres's most trusted colleagues, Gil offers a frank assessment of his mentor, recounting his foibles and failures as consistently as he does his victories. We are shown Peres's unique energy and optimism for Israel and its Arab neighbors in his vision of a 'New Middle East'.But most valuable of all, we gain unique insight into the actual thought processes, conversations and decisions of Peres and his colleagues and adversaries as they initiated, processed and reacted to events in real time, shedding new light on a historic period in Israeli and Middle Eastern History. Of unique value to all those interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the book is also an insightful meditation on the inner-workings of all high-level government and diplomatic negotiations.

It is rare to read a candid and critical examination of political events and a leader’s actions from an insider’s perspective, devoid of a personal axe to grind. This analysis of Shimon Peres’s thoughts, actions, machinations, and achievements is a rare example of what is captivating and engrossing reading … The process leading to the Oslo Peace Accords and subsequent events are told in fascinating detail., Well-informed and perceptive … reveal[ing] a great deal not only about its subject but about the workings of Israeli government. It is more valuable than Peres’s autobiography, of which Gil told Peres that the reader has to get through 400 pages before Peres admits that he made a mistake. “What can I do if I didn’t make mistakes,” Peres replied. Gil, by contrast, has given a real portrait, warts and all., This book is written by a man who is full of admiration, respect and love for his subject, but who nevertheless does not conceal Peres’s warts: his longing for credit, his manipulations, his desire to be loved, his boundless vanity…There are anecdotes aplenty that provide a sense of the man behind the persona that the public thought it knew so well., The book, based on Gil’s diaries, notes and memories of several decades in political life, paints a humanizing and often unflattering portrait of one of Israel’s most prominent and enduring politicians., Other advisers had written reverential memoirs about their political bosses. Gil, by contrast, is admiring of Peres’s strengths, but unsparing when it comes to his faults, above all his preening ego.

Avi Gil served as the Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2001 – 2002), the Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Regional Cooperation (1999-2001), and the Bureau Chief of the Prime Minister’s Office (1995 – 1996). Closely involved in Israel's policy-making and peace negotiations, Gil also served as Director of Content of the 5 Israeli Presidential Conferences (2009-2014). He is currently Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute.