Mideast Buffer Zones
Published: November 18, 1991
To the Editor:
The Arab states at Madrid demanded Israeli withdrawal from the disputed or occupied lands. Israel rejected it on the ground of security. The tension of this confrontation may be much eased by a standard formula in history: to pull the confronting parties apart by setting up demilitarized zones along the borders under international agreement.
The demilitarized zones would help, not harm, Israeli security. The Arab states would thus diminish the much-deplored occupation. This arrangement would lower the tension and gain time to negotiate long-term settlements. JAMES T. C. LIU Princeton, N.J., Nov. 3, 1991 The writer is an emeritus professor of East Asian studies and history at Princeton University.