ABSTRACT

This chapter analysis the consensus-building process involved in reaching the Nahal Tzalmon agreement. The Nahal Tzalmon mediation was the first effort in Israel to settle a land-use planning conflict involving multiple parties, including Israeli authorities and residents of the implicated land, through the systematic application of consensus-building principles. The chapter begins with a brief review of the methodology used for the study and a discussion of the background and context of the conflict. It describes each stage of the mediation process and analysis in detail the issues of representation, neutrality, trust-building, power dynamics, and dealing with emotions. The research project was described to the stakeholders as an opportunity for them to give feedback on the mediation process, as well as a means of providing information on and insight about their process to consensus-building professionals around the world. The chapter concludes with some key lessons that can be learned from the process.