Historical Acknowledgment as an Early Conflict Negotiation Strategy: A Feasibility Study of Israel/Palestine

Abstract

This article proposes that historical acknowledgment strategies are not only useful if and when they lead to coexistence and reconciliation in the post‐conflict stages, but also as an early conflict negotiation strategy. To develop this proposition the article integrates literature on conflict resolution and conflict transformation with models of negotiation and underscores the potential utility of historical acknowledgment strategies in early stages of official negotiations. The article proposes that historical acknowledgment strategies address the lack of long‐term trust, which is often a significant impediment during negotiations. Such strategies signal a commitment to changing the public space as well as the education of future generations in ways that acknowledge the adversary’s history and identity. This action is likely to provide assurances to the other side that peaceful coexistence is a long‐term goal of the leadership and the public. Furthermore, the article proposes that the current international normative environment—that is, existing human rights norms and strengthening international norms of “dealing with the past”—places expectations and demands on states’ leadership. These expectations and demands are part of the constraints and pressures within which a conflict operates and within which any peace process is negotiated. Therefore, the current international normative environment makes the positive effects of incorporating historical acknowledgment strategies into early peace negotiations more likely. To illustrate the feasibility of the rationale developed here and its practical implications, the article considers the application of historical acknowledgment strategies to the case of Israel/Palestine and specifically to the 1948 Palestinian refugees issue.