To the editor:

In the analysis, "Gaza Is Near Financial Collapse, Prompting Fears of Violence" (February 12), David Halbfinger describes a dire situation in Gaza and writes that Hamas has few options, bolstering his position with a reference to concurring opinions by Nathan Thrall and other experts.

Astoundingly, none of these "experts" suggests the most surefire way of turning Gaza from a disaster into a paradise: peace.

Here in Israel, we'd love to help make Gaza into the Mediterranean mecca it should be, but we obviously can't as long as Hamas is in charge, remains determined to destroy us and spends over a hundred million dollars a year building rockets and tunnels. Certainly Egypt would also help if Hamas wasn't exporting terrorism into the Sinai.

Peace. Is it really such an outlandish idea?

Sincerely,

Alan Stein