Middle East Peace Talks

In response to Shlomo Gazit’s article “Security and Justice for All” (Commentary, March 14), I would like to express my concurrence with his views that the West Bank must remain a military buffer zone, but that Israel must withdraw from most of the West Bank while ceding it as a political Palestinian entity.

Although the Palestinians may view this as an emasculated state since it would not be militarized, they need only look at postwar Germany and Japan. These two economic giants were both demilitarized after World War II and both had foreign troops on their soil, yet this did not prevent them from superseding all other economic powers in the postwar era.

The Palestinians are the most educated per capita Arab people and many now are unemployed and may remain so for a long time because of the negative feelings toward them in the Persian Gulf. It would make more sense for the wealthy Gulf states and Saudi Arabia to bankroll the economic development of this Palestinian entity rather than back any new PLO-type organization that might seek to replace the now discredited PLO. By channeling the effort and funds into a productive and constructive mode, the day would no doubt come when even Israel’s continued military presence would no longer be necessary.

NINA GERSHUNI

La Jolla