He added that handing over control of areas to the Palestinians would have to be done slowly and carefully, because “it brings instability in the short term.”
If there are a significant number of attacks on Israel from Gaza, Israel might be forced to move its troops back into the area, Shalom said.
But he assured the audience that Israel was “prepared to take risks for peace” by “eas[ing] conditions for the Palestinians.”
Finally, Shalom stressed the importance of world powers such as the United States and the European Union in taking a role in forging Middle East peace.
“The old paradigm of national security is changing,” he said. “No longer can states presume to provide for their security and well being without regard for the security of others in more distant lands.”
-Staff writer Evan H. Jacobs can be reached at ehjacobs@fas.harvard.edu.