PART II: Bazaar Diplomacy

In Middle Eastern bazaar-style diplomacy, Professor Moshe Sharon wrote, agreements are kept not because they are signed but because they are imposed. Besides, in the Arab-Israeli conflict, the two sides often are not even discussing the same merchandise.The Israelis wish to acquire "peace" based on the Arab- Muslim acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state, while the Arabs wish to annihilate the Jewish state, to replace it with an Arab state, and to get rid of the Jews. To achieve their goal, the Arabs sometimes have taken to the battlefield, but their best offense has proven to be the bazaar-style diplomacy.

In the bazaar, the most important rule that each customer must know and appreciate is, that if the vendor knows that you desire to purchase a certain piece of merchandise, he will raise its price. The Israelis want to purchase peace, so the Arabs give the impression that they actually have this merchandise and correspondingly inflate its price, when in truth they don't have it at all.

The wisdom of the bazaar is, that if you are clever enough, you can sell nothing - and at a high price. The Arabs sell nothing: words, vague promises, even signed agreements which they have no intention of honoring, and they always receive generous down payments from the eager buyers, the Israelis. In the bazaar, only a foolish buyer pays for something intangible that he has never seen.

There's another rule in the market as well as across the negotiating table: the side that first presents its terms is bound to lose, because the other side builds its next move using the opponent's open cards as their starting point. Israel has always rushed to offer its proposals first when it negotiates with the Arabs, and it's always surprised to discover that after an agreement has been "concluded," it's simply the basis for further demands.

Reacting to this, Israeli politicians, pundits and the media eagerly provide "explanations" for the Arabs' behavior. A popular reason is that the Arab pronouncements are for internal use, as if pronouncements in Arabic don't count. Other explanations invoke Arab sensibilities, honor, matters of emotion, and other more patronizing sayings. Does Israel possess no sensitivities or does it have no honor of its own?, Professor Sharon asks. What do all these bogus Israeli explanations have to do with negotiating?

As the late President Sadat advised Sharon, it is indeed essential to learn the rules of the oriental bazaar before venturing into negotiations with the Arabs. Most important of all the rules is the Roman saying: "If you want peace - prepare for war." Your adversary must always know that you are strong and ready for war even more than you are ready for peace. Never come to the negotiating table from a position of weakness.

In the present situation in the Middle East and in the foreseeable future, Israelis must recognize that peace is nothing more than an empty word. Sharon says, Israel should delete the word "peace" from its vocabulary along with such phrases as "the price of peace" or "territory for peace." For a hundred years, the Jews have been begging the Arabs - and are ready to pay them any price - for peace. They have received nothing, because the Arabs have no peace to sell. But the Israelis have still paid dearly. It must be said in all fairness that what the Arabs meant by the word "peace" was nothing more than a limited ceasefire for a limited period, and that the Arabs have not made a secret of this definition. [This is the exact situation in Gaza.]

Since this is the case, Israel should create a new state of affairs in the Middle East and openly declare that peace does not exist as an option in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Peace will only be a possibility if the Arabs ask for peace and are prepared to pay for it. Unlike the Arabs, Israel has this merchandise for sale, but it depends on Israel's deterrent power and the willingness to use it.

To quote Professor Sharon exactly, "If anyone asks Israel for plans, the answer should be: no plans, no suggestions, no constructive ideas, in fact no negotiations at all. If the Arab side wants to negotiate, let it present its plans and its ideas. If and when it does, the first Israeli reaction should always be 'Unacceptable! Come with better ones.' This is precisely how the Palestinians respond to Israeli offers!

If and when the time comes for serious negotiations, once the Arabs have lost all hope of annihilating the Jewish state, here are Sharon's ten rules for bargaining in the Middle Eastern bazaar:

1). Never be the first to suggest anything to the other side. Let the opponent present his suggestions first. Show no eagerness to conclude a deal.

2). Always reject, always disagree and walk away, even a hundred times. A tough customer gets good prices.

3). Don't rush to come up with counter-offers. Let the other side make amendments under the pressure of your total rejection. Patience is the name of the game.

4). Have your own plan ready in full, as detailed as possible, with the red lines completely defined. But never show this or any other plan to a third party, because it will reach your opponent quicker than you think. Weigh your adversaries' offers against your own plan.

5). Never change your detailed plan to meet the other side "half way." Remember, there is no half way. The other side also has a master plan and wants to stick to it. Be ready to quit negotiations when your demands are rejected.

6). Never leave things unclear. The Arabs are masters of language and playing with words is their national sport. Always avoid "creative phrasing" and "creative ideas," which are exactly what your Arab opponent wants to hear. As in the market, or at the negotiating table, always talk dollars and cents.

7). Never forget that the other side will try to outsmart you by presenting major issues as unimportant details. Regard every detail as a vitally important issue. Never postpone any problem for later. If you do so you will lose because your opponent is always looking for a reason to avoid honoring agreements.

8). Beware of expressing emotion. Friendly words as well as outbursts of anger, holding hands, kissing, touching cheeks, and embracing should not be interpreted as representing policy. These gestures are merely play-acting.

9). Beware of popular beliefs about the Arabs and the Middle East - "Arab honor" for example. Remember, Jews have honor too, but this has nothing to do with the issues under negotiation. Never say or do anything because somebody has told you that it's customary. You will be taken advantage of for doing it.

10). Always remember that the goal of all negotiations is to make a profit, in this case, negotiating points. You should aim at winning the most points in real terms. Remember that every gain is an asset for the future, because there is always going to be "another round." Nothing is ever final.

Professor Sharon has pointed out to us that the Arabs are matchless negotiators: they are the masters of words, and a mine of endless patience. In contrast, Israelis (and Westerners in general) want quick "results." If Israel really desires peace, it must learn bazaar diplomacy from the Arabs and use it to Israel's benefit.

I have pointed out the complications to achieving peace with the Arabs, both obvious ones and others less obvious. Israel must ignore the argument that time is on the Palestinians' side and we therefore must be the ones to compromise.

Finally, let's take a look at the situation of the Arabs in general, compared to the Israelis. Unless an Arab country has vast energy resources, the country is poor and its masses are backward. Even in oil-rich countries, the average Arab's life is no better than the life of an Arab citizen of Israel. And the age of fossil fuels is closer to an end than to its beginning. Time prevents me from discoursing on the endemic violence and terrorism between the Arabs themselves, on the failure of the Arabs to adequately educate themselves, on the susceptibility of young Arabs to destructive Jihadist doctrine, and more, all of which keep the Arabs in a backward state. Meanwhile, Israel grows wealthier and stronger, based on brains and industriousness, not the most obvious Arab characteristics.

Peace is improbable, but it's not impossible to attain. As for me, I remain optimistic, despite the bad news that the media serves up daily. Israelis, Jews, and all Zionists should take Professor Sharon's advice that, "In this part of the world [where] there are no quick results - the hasty one always loses."

Stephen Kramer resided and worked in the Atlantic City area until 1991, when he moved to Israel with his wife, Michal Langweiler, and two sons. His book "Meandering Through Israel" can be purchased by calling the Jewish Times at 407-0909. He can be reached at Sjk1@jhu.edu.