H.D.S. GREENWAY'S May 29 op-ed "Elusive dreams of peace fade in Mideast" fails to put the situation there in perspective: If Israel had not held onto the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights for the past 40 years, there would be no Israel. It most likely would not have survived another war from the pre-1967 boundaries, which are not defensible.

Israel's desire for peace is earnest and genuine. It withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula, Southern Lebanon, and most recently, Gaza, only to face increased hostilities and extreme and ominous threats on its northern and southern borders. Land for peace has proven to be a chimera. It's time to try peace for peace. If the Arabs want peace, they must understand that Israel's final borders will not be those of before 1967, and that Jerusalem will not be redivided. If the Arabs put down their arms, there would be no more war; if the Israelis put down their arms, there would be no more Israel.