The Missing Currency of Israeli/Palestinian Negotiations
- Author(s): Lloyd Cohen
- Posted: 9-2009
- Law & Economics #: 09-45
- Availability: Full text (most recent) on SSRN
ABSTRACT:
The premise of the Arab-Israeli “land for peace” process is that each side values what it will receive more than what it must surrender. The repeated failure of this process spanning decades reveals the shocking truth that this premise is erroneous. For the process to succeed the currency that the Arabs must bring to the table is the ability and willingness to pay for their sovereignty in the currency of vigorous enforcement of Israeli rights and privileges, something they are not willing to do. Why not? At present, the payoff to the Palestinian Arabs as a body of a state is simply not worth the price they must pay.