Examining the role that the news media play in peace processes, Gadi Wolfsfeld argues that, although often destructive, the role of the press varies over time and political circumstance. Wolfsfeld analyzes these variations by examining three major cases: the Oslo peace process between Israel and the Palestinians; the peace process between Israel and Jordan; and the process surrounding the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.

Gadi Wolfsfeld is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Communication at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of Media and Political Conflict: News from the Middle East (Cambridge, 1997).

Introduction; 1. Building theory; 2. The initial stages of Oslo; 3. The Israeli media and the debate over Oslo; 4. The Palestinians and the Israeli media; 5. The media and the Israel-Jordan peace process; 6. The media and the struggle for peace in Northern Ireland; 7. The collapse of Oslo and the return to violence; Conclusion; Methodological appendix.