FINLAND & PALESTINE Proceedings of a Joint Workshop

ReI1ectians on Rnnish-Palestinian I\CU'UV1"'__~~~___ ~~__~~~~~~_______~
time, as terrorist activities inside Israel are a reminder of the
political violence of the region.
Will there be peace in the region Will the vicious cycle of violence
end Will the Palestinian Territories become a fullfledged
independent state one day These are standard questions
most diplomats face upon completing their assignments.
Yet there are no simple answers to these difficult questions.
To me, it appears that both the Israelis and Palestinians are
caught in the "prisoner's dilemma." s Although there are parties
on both sides wishing to have a permanent settlement to the
conflict, the trust needed to build the relations to obtain this
objective seems to be an elusive goal. Each time progress is
made, spoilers on both sides of the conflict undo the progress
achieved.
Nonetheless, I do hope that Palestine will one day be an independent
state. In the meantime, Finland will continue to assist
the state-building process, but it is envisaged that, in the course
of time, relations between Finland and Palestine will be normalised,
with emphasis on private sector ties, cultural cooperation
and tourism.
3 The prisoner's dilemma constitutes a problem in game theory. In its
classical form, the prisoner's dilemma (UpO") is presented as follows: Two
suspects are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for
a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, viSit each of them to
offer the same deal. If one testifies (defects from the other) for the
prosecution against the other and the other remains silent (cooperates with
the other), the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full
lO-year sentence. If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only
six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives
a five-year sentence. Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to
remain silent. Each one is assured that the other would not know about the
betrayal before the end of the investigation. How should the prisoners act
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