Israel and Syria Build Golan Heights Dysnay Park
Smartsettle Negotiation Simulation sponsored by
The Mediation and Conflict Resolution Institute in Jerusalem,
Smartsettle & ADR Cyberweek 2000
Syrian Representatives
Michael Tsur, Mediator, Attorney, Chairman of the National Mediation Board in Israel
Alon Cohen, Mediator and Simulation Author
The Mediation and Conflict Resolution Institute in Jerusalem
10, Rabbi Akiva St. Jerusalem 94582-ISRAEL
Fax: 02-6236104 Tel: 02-6222627
Israeli Representative
Alan Gaitenby, ADR Cyberweek Director
Center for Information Technology and Dispute Resolution
Smartsettle Facilitator
Ernest M. Thiessen, PEng., PhD, President
Smartsettle, a division of ICAN Systems Inc.
I. Simulation Background
This simulation does not pretend to deal with any real current issues between Israel and Syria and any similar situation would be more complex than portrayed here.
Any references to controversial material are unintentional. 
The year is 2033. Trust and understanding about common interests between Israel and Syria has grown tremendously during the last thirty years since the signing of the historic Peace Agreement between Syria and Israel in 2001. Political gestures, in both countries, have considerably improved the economic growth in the region. In recent years, leaders in Syria have liberalized the economy and worked on a rapprochement with western countries. Both Syria and Israel now have a positive will to pursue opportunities for cooperation in various ways so that both countries can work for mutual economic gains and then further strengthen the trust relationships which have been improving since the signature of the Peace Agreement.
Recently, Syria has proposed to cooperate together and spend at least one billion dollars building the MidPeace Dysnay Park in the Golan Heights. Tourists will come from all over the world to spend vacations in this park. This project will serve as a symbol of a respectful commitment to secure a peaceful boundary between the two countries in an area that has been the target of controversy from the beginning of recorded history.
In order to speed up the negotiation process and insure the most efficient agreement possible, Israel and Syria have decided to use a negotiation support system called Smartsettle. Smartsettle has become a powerful negotiation support system used by professionals all over the world to assist decision makers resolve conflicting objectives and achieve better outcomes in important negotiations. The system is designed to speed up the process and produce better agreements for many types of situations, from small, simple cases to large and complex multiparty cases. Smartsettle has overcome many of the challenges that negotiators have been faced with in the past when using conventional means of negotiating.
Representatives from both Israel and Syria have had numerous meetings together over the past several months and there have been many discussions about which issues should be included in the negotiation. On several occasions, concern was raised that including or excluding a particular issue may imply unspoken concessions or reveal confidential information. Parties have been reassured, however that this is not a problem when using Smartsettle.
An administrative team with representatives from both countries has already been chosen. The next step is to agree on some of the broader issues to get the ball rolling. Parties have boiled down the main issues and have produced the following draft “Single Negotiating Form” for use with Smartsettle in current negotiations. Feasibility studies and extensive information gathering has already been done (See Appendix A). Several sites have been identified as suitable locations for the new park and reliable cost estimates for each site are detailed in the appendix. Negotiators are well prepared to make final decisions on these issues and have chosen Smartsettle to assist their negotiations.