When Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and and Palestinian Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo I Accord
in September of 1993, the world had no idea of the backstage maneuvering it took to make that historic moment possible. "Oslo" by JT Rogers is a Dramatization of the secretive 1993 peace negotiations in the clandestine "Oslo Channel" that led to the accord, as orchestrated by Norwegian diplomat Mona Juul and her husband, social scientist Terje Rød-Larsen. With the all-important appearance of neutrality, the Norwegians are able to convince agents from both sides (read: professors from the University of Haifa in Israel and the finance officer of the Palestine Liberation Organization) to meet and talk.
But bringing Israeli and Palestinian delegates together for a series of top-secret meetings in an ancient castle just outside of Norway's capital might be the easiest step of the process. Now that they've gotten the emissaries to come together, Mona and Terje must alternately encourage, challenge, cajole, and beseech the rag-tag assembly of representatives to work together and pull off a task that seems impossible — to take the first steps towards peace.
The play premiered in 2016. In 2020 HBO acquired the rights to produce a film adaptation of the play, which was released in 2021 and directed by Bartlett Sher. Mona Juul is played by Ruth Wilson, with Andrew Scott as Terje Rød-Larsen.
Spoilers below are unmarked.
Oslo Provides Examples of:
- Arc Words: "It's not about you."
- Said by Terje to Yair, when Uri has taken over the role of chief delegate from Israel in the negotiation process. Yair and Ron both feel like Uri has minimized their contributions to the peace talks and demeaned them by kicking them out of the meetings, but Terje reminds them that the goal of the peace talks is much more important than any one man's ego.
- Said by Mona to Terje when he's upset that they won't be recognized for their facilitation of the peace talks, or even be invited to the banquet after Arafat and Rabin sign the Accords. Mona tells him it's enough to stand in the background and watch it happen — again, the Accords are more important than any one man's ego.
- Code Name: For the safety and secrecy of the operation, code names are assigned to key players for use while discussing the negotiations over the phone:
- Israel is referred to as "the little country," and important political figures are designated "the son," "the father," and "the grandfather."
- Palestine (or the Palestinian Liberation Organization, at least) is dubbed "the land across the sea." Ahmed is dubbed "pontoffel" (Yiddish for slipper).
- Commonality Connection: When they step away from the talks to take a walk in the frigid Norwegian countryside, Uri Savir and Ahmed Qurie discover that they both have daughters named Maya. This connection brings into focus why they're fighting so hard for peace, and opens the door for them to see each other as allies in the process of hashing out the negotiations (rather than enemies at cross purposes).
- Dramatization: The play is a dramatization of the Oslo peace talks of 1993, with all characters in the show portraying the real people who participated in the talks.
- Peace Conference: Mona and Terje are instructed not to call the secretive meetings a "peace conference" for political reasons, but all participants in the Oslo talks are aware that they've been assembled to negotiate a peaceful solution... in a conference-like setting.
- "Ray of Hope" Ending: After the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue, when all actors have given a grim recap of the past 20 years of Israeli-Palestinian relations and left the stage, only Mona and Terje are left. They face the audience and ask — even through all the doubt and pessimism, even after the breakdown of negotiations — if the viewers can imagine a way forwards.Terje: My friends, do not look at where we are; look behind you.
(He points behind) There! See how far we have come!
If we have come this far, through blood, through fear— hatred—how much further can we go yet?
(Points ahead) There! On the horizon. The Possibility.
Do you see it?
Do you? - Real-Person Fic: The play is a Dramatization of real events, and every named character in the show is a portrayal of a real person who participated in or facilitated the Oslo peace talks.
- Reconcile the Bitter Foes: Norway has the all-important appearance of neutrality in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It's much easier for Mona and Terje to get their foot in the door with both sides and get the process moving than it would be for any official operating through the American or United Nations channels.
- Running Gag:
- The jokes about everyone in Norway's Diplomatic Service and Foreign Ministry knowing/ working for/ having dated/ being married to everyone else in their field. "It's a small country."Mona: To clarify: Johan Jørgen is married to Marianne, who works for Terje, who is married to me, who, as of tomorrow, works for Johan Jørgen.
- The repeated misuse of common English phrases, followed by a deadpan, "I don't think that's how you use that."
- Toril's cooking (her waffles especially) are universally praised by the guests at Borregaard Manor.
- American diplomats mispronouncing Terje's name.
- The jokes about everyone in Norway's Diplomatic Service and Foreign Ministry knowing/ working for/ having dated/ being married to everyone else in their field. "It's a small country."
- "Ugly American" Stereotype:
- On a broader level, the Norwegians want to keep the Oslo Channel secret for as long as possible to avoid putting undue pressure on the negotiations and to keep American and United Nations diplomats from getting involved. Norway has the all-important appearance of neutrality in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, making it ideally situated to facilitate and host the clandestine meetings. Any involvement on America's part could be seen as favoring it's ally Israel or devolving into an ineffective display of America's international powers.
- On an interpersonal level, all the American diplomats are some combinations of brash, self-absorbed, and outright rude to the main characters. Most of them can't even pronounce Terje's name correctly; a sign of how they don't make an effort to learn about the cultures they're interacting with. They treat the rumors of the back-alley negotiations with a mixture of disbelief and contempt, seeming to have the attitude that "if Americans can't negotiate peace in the Middle East, no-one else can" (with the implication that no one else will even be allowed to try).
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: At the end of the show, the actors deliver a rapid-pace recap of Israeli-Palestinian relations from 1993 through 2016, interspersed with updates on the status of the key players. The death dates of several of the involved politicians and negotiators are declared, with each deceased character leaving the stage when they have recounted their cause of death.
