The Palestinian euphoria over the visit of French President Jacques Chirac to the West Bank and Gaza will subside as the everyday harsh reality of poor progress on peace negotiations continues. Furthermore, the devastating closure of the Palestinian territories imposed by Israel costs the West Bank and Gaza economics $3 million a day*. But Chirac should at least be credited for simply stating what is an essential element to the achievement of peace in the Middle East: the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Peter Kiernan Bir Zeit University, West Bank

* Editor's note: This figure of $3 million a day represents $1 billion a year, equivalent to the amount of foreign aid received by the West Bank and Gaza over the last two-and-a-half years.