Mr. INHOFE.. I will discuss seven reasons why Israel is entitled to the land they have.

1. All archeological evidence supports that Israelis had a presence there for 3,000 years. The coins, the cities, the pottery, the culture-- there is no mistaking the fact that Israelis have been in that land for 3,000 years. It predates claims of any other peoples in the region, who do not have the unbroken line to this date that Israel has. The first Israelis are in fact descended from the original Israelites.

2. Israel's right to the land is also historic. There has been an Israel up to the time of the Roman Empire, who conquered it. Israel had no homeland, but Jews were allowed to live there. They were driven from the land in 70 and 135, but there was always a Jewish presence. The Turks took over about 700 years ago and ruled the land until World War I. The Turks entered World War I with Germany, so the British sent troops against the Turks in the Holy Land. Allenby led the British and captured Jerusalem without a shot.

The British said they will give the Jewish people a homeland, and set aside all of what is now Israel and all of what was then the nation of Jordan--the whole thing.

There was no huge Arab population in the land at that time, because the land could not sustain a large population, and was not wanted by anybody.

It was considered worthless land. Mark Twain--Samuel Clemens-- toured Palestine in 1867, and this is how he described it: A desolate country whose soil is rich enough but is given over wholly to weeds. A silent, mournful expanse. We never saw a human being on the whole route. There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus almost deserted the country."

Where was this great Palestinian nation? It did not exist. This is the report that the Palestinian Royal Commission, created by the British, made.

It quotes an account of the conditions on the coastal plain along the Mediterranean in 1913. They said: The road leading from Gaza to the north was only a summer track, suitable for transport by camels or carts. No orange groves, orchards or vineyards were to be seen until one reached the Yavnev village. Houses were mud. Schools did not exist. The western coast was almost a desert. The villages were few and thinly populated, some were deserted.

The French author Voltaire described Palestine as "a hopeless, dreary place.'' The nation became populated by both Jews and Arabs when Jews returned and reclaimed it. If there had never been any archaeological evidence to support Israel's right of to the territory, other nations in the area have no longstanding claim either.

Did you know that Saudi Arabia was not created until 1913, Lebanon until 1920? Iraq did not exist until 1932, Syria until 1941; the borders of Jordan were established in 1946 and Kuwait in 1961. Any of these nations that would say Israel is only a recent arrival would have to deny their own rights as well.

3. The third reason that land belongs to Israel is practical. Israel is a marvel of agriculture, bringing more food out of a desert environment than any other country in the world. The Arabs ought to make Israel their friend and import Israeli technology that would allow the Middle East to become an exporter of food.

4. Israel has the right to the land on humanitarian grounds. Six million Jews perished in Europe in World War II. The persecution against the Jews had been very strong in Russia since communism. These people have a right to their homeland. They are not asking for a great deal. The whole nation of Israel would fit into my home state of Oklahoma seven times. Israel is very small. It is a nation that until the claims started coming in, was not desired by anybody.

5. Israel is a strategic ally of the United States. Whether we realize it or not, Israel is a detriment, an impediment to groups hostile to democracies and hostile to what we believe in, hostile to that which makes us the world's greatest nation. They kept them from taking control of the Middle East. If not for Israel, they would overrun the region. It is good to know we have a friend in the Middle East on whom we can count. They vote with us in the UN more than England, Canada, France, Germany and any other country.

6. Israel is a roadblock to terrorism. The war we now face is not against a sovereign nation; it is against terrorists who move from one country to another. They are almost invisible. We need every ally we can get. If we do not stop terrorism in the Middle East, it will be on our shores. I believe the spiritual door was opened for an attack against the US in that the policy of our Government has been to pressure the Israelis not to retaliate significantly against the terrorist strikes launched against them.

Since its independence in 1948, Israel has fought four wars: The war in 1948 and 1949 for independence, the Sinai campaign in 1956; the Six-Day War in 1967; and in 1973, the Yom Kippur War on the holiest day of the year, and that was with Egypt and Syria. In all four cases, Israel was attacked. They won all four wars against impossible odds. They consider a level playing field being outnumbered 2 to 1.

Thirty nine Scud missiles landed on Israel during the Gulf war. In order to have the Arab nations on board, we asked Israel not to participate in the war. They showed tremendous restraint and did not. Now we asked them to stand back and not do anything after many attacks. We criticized them. Local people in television and radio often criticize Israel, not knowing the facts.

I was thrilled when a reporter posed a question to our Secretary of State, Colin Powell. He said: Mr. Powell, the United States advocates a policy of restraint in the Middle East. We discourage Israel from retaliating because we say it leads to escalation. Are we going to follow that preaching ourselves? Mr. Powell indicated we would strike back. I am so proud of them because we must stop terrorism. It is not going to go away. If Israel were driven into the sea tomorrow, terrorism would not end.

It is not just a matter of Israel. It is the heart of the very people who are perpetrating this stuff. Should they be successful in overrunning Israel, they will never be satisfied.

7. Israel has a right to the land because God said so. Look it up in Genesis. 13:14-17, the Bible says: The Lord said to Abram, "Raise your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward, and southward, and eastward and westward: for all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever ... Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it to thee.''

That is G-d talking. The Bible says that Abram moved his tent and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, in Hebron,. Hebron is in the West Bank. It is where G-d appeared to Abram and said, "I am giving you this land,''--the West Bank. This is not a political battle. It is a contest over whether or not the word of G-d is true.

These seven reasons clearly establish that Israel has a right to the land. Eight years ago on the White House lawn, Yitzhak Rabin shook hands with PLO Chairman Arafat. It was a tragic occasion. At that time, the official policy of the Government of Israel began to be, "`Let's appease the terrorists. Let trade land for peace.''

This process continued until last year. Here in our own Nation, at Camp David, in the summer of 2000, then Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak offered the most generous concessions to Yasser Arafat ever. He offered him more than 90 percent of all the West Bank territory. Some parts he did not want to offer, but in exchange he said he would give up land in Israel proper that the PLO had not even asked for. He also did the unthinkable, offering to divide Jerusalem and allow Palestinians to have their capital there. Everything he had said he wanted was offered. It was put into his hands. Why did Arafat storm out of the meeting?

Soon after, the riots began when Ariel Sharon went to the Temple Mount. Did you know that Sharon first contacted the Islamic authorities and secured their permission? It was no surprise. The response was carefully calculated. They would portray this in the Arab world as an attack on the holy mosque, and use it as an excuse to riot.

Over the last 8 years, during the peace process, when the Israeli public pressured its leaders to give up land for peace because they are tired of fighting, there has been increased terror, greater in the last 8 years than any other time.

Showing restraint and giving in has not produced peace. Even the leftist peace movement in Israel feels they were deceived. They offered a hand of peace, and it was not taken. The Israelis see that "No matter what we do, these people want to destroy us.'' The PLO stationery has upon it the map of the entire state of Israel, not just the tiny little part they call the West Bank. They want it all. We must get out of this mindset that you can buy peace in the Middle East by giving plots of land.