To the Editor:

Under the guise of an article on architectural theory, Nicholai Ouroussoff launches an assault on Israel's security fence ("A Line in the Sand," Jan. 1).

If this were truly an article on architecture, the writer would have pointed out that 95 percent of the barrier was a fence, not a wall.  Is not the actual composition of a structure an important element of architectural analysis?

And if the point of the piece is to connect architecture to social issues, it would have been relevant for Mr. Ouroussoff at least to pay some attention to the effect terrorism in the form of continual suicide bombings over years against the civilian population of Israel has on architectural development. He might have pointed out that the fence was an example of architecture providing a non-violent solution to an extreme case of violence, the deliberate murder of civilians. He might have noted that Israel seeks an open peace with Palestinians but was forced to choose a separation fence because of the violence.