Israel/Palestine: Negotiations between Traumatized Groups
On top of the Bental Mountain in Golan Heights, I asked an IDF Spokeswoman what the biggest challenge was that she faced in dealing with foreign journalists. “The story is often already written,” she said. “Journalists are pressed for time and energy, so most stories are lacking context. They’re lazy.”
It takes years (and perhaps a lifetime) to grasp the complexity of the situation in Israel. Though ten days through Israel and Palestine have in no way transformed me from dilettante to expert on the geopolitics of the Middle East, I have come to understand something about the Israel/Palestine conflict that is missing in most of the media reports. The histories, psychology, fears, desires, and needs of both peoples are underexplored in news stories about the peace negotiations.
Dr. Tal Becker, Principal Deputy Legal Adviser at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told us that it is easier to understand the stagnant nature of peace negotiations from a psychological perspective (he even advised us that if we wanted to become political negotiators in the future, we should study psychology, not political science). What makes negotiations in the Israel/Palestine case so challenging is that they are between two traumatized groups worried about their past and future. Their worldviews have been shaped by a past of victimization, and both sides want validation that they are the true victims. Each side has valid reasons for wanting to be the victim: both Jews and Arab Muslims see the land as rightfully theirs, dating their ownership of the land back a couple thousand years; in the early 20th century Jews faced persecution and needed a home; the 1967 Israeli defeat of Palestinian militias and Arab armies turned hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians into refugees.
The list of victimizations on both sides goes on and on. According to Becker, each side views the counterparty as the villain and wants to delegitimize the villain. Take this recent case: on April 1st, Palestine will officially become a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Palestinian Government intends to seek retroactive action against Israel at the ICC for alleged crimes committed by Israel in Gaza last summer. Though the Palestinian side sees this as seeking justice through a legal option, Becker argues that this move is harmful to negotiations, as it reinforces the victim/villain narrative on both sides. Palestine wants international confirmation that they are the victims, but by placing Israel in the spotlight as the villain, this action causes Israel to feel victimized as well.
Becker uses a phenomenon called the winner’s curse to explain one source of breakdowns in negotiations. The logic behind the winner’s curse can be illustrated by a recent experience I had at a market in Old Jerusalem. Eyeing a dress in one of the stores, I asked the storekeeper for the price. Instead of giving me a price, she asked me how much I would pay for it. “40 shekels,” I said. “Done deal”, she responded without a flinch. Though I bought my dress for the price I had asked for, somehow I didn’t feel satisfied with my purchase. I didn’t get that rush of adrenaline from bargaining. Why didn’t the storekeeper argue with me and say my number was too high? Could I have gotten a cheaper price?
According to Becker, “When we make a deal, to know we’ve done well, we look for suffering or pain on the other side to know we’re getting a good deal.” I wanted the storekeeper to be angry and frustrated at the cheap price on the dress I was able to snag. Her lack of emotion in response to my price of “40 shekels” signaled to me that I was not getting a good deal. Similarly, Israel and Palestine want to see validation that the deal is a good deal by seeing the other party experience pain.
The combination of the winner’s curse and the victim/villain mindset from two traumatized groups makes negotiations near impossible. According to Becker, a common understanding of negotiations is that it consists of protecting yourself and tolerating what you can from the other side. A shifting of consciousness is necessary for peace, since peace requires more than tolerating: peace demands each side to champion the efforts of the counter party. Right now, negotiations consist of two people trying to hurt each other as much as possible. According to Becker, beyond tolerating each other, Israel and Palestine need to become champions and advocates of each other, thus freeing each group from the victim/villain narrative and mindset.
The cause of psychological disorder on both sides is messy and convoluted, stretching back thousands of years. The daily news story on negotiations between Israel and Palestine barely scratch the surface; but rather than blame the press, perhaps it is our duty to look at both sides as humans and individuals that suffer from the same fears, desires, and wants that anyone would in their messy situation.
