Searching for Flamingos in Israel: The pitfalls of mixing scenarios and negotiations
Gary Sussman
Abstract
Gary Sussman explores the tensions that emerge when key actors in a scenario exercise seek to drive a negotiations agenda by pressing participants to back one particular scenario. The scenario exercise: Israel 2025 attempted to provide for an internal Israeli debate on a permanent Palestinian-Israeli accommodation and on the future of Israeli society itself. Contrary to assumptions that the Palestinian or territorial question would be the central factor in this exercise, demography within Israel emerged as the driving force. As a result, three of the scenarios challenged the assumption that territorial concessions would secure Israel's continued existence as a unitary Jewish and democratic state - the ideal of host participants - leading to formidable tension.
Development (2004) 47, 60-66. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100083
Keywords
Israel; Mont Fleur Scenarios; representation; Oslo negotiations; Palestinian-Israeli; demography
