Speech #960140623

Mr. Speaker. it has become fashionable to offer the establishment of a Palestinian state of some sort on the "west bank" of the Jordan River as the wisest "solution" to the intractable problem of Palestine. The Palestinian cause is seen by some prominent observers as the primary obstacle to peace in the Middle East. because the Palestinian refugees appear to be the only significant element in the Middle East unwilling to accept the status quo with respect to the legitimacy of the State of Israel. As Irving Kristol writes in todays Post. it is evident to anyone who has studied the economic geography of the West Bank region that it cannot solve the Palestinian problem for the region cannot hope to absorb more than 1 million Palestinians living outside of Israel on its meager economic base. Palestine established on the West Bank could only be an intermediate point to the destruction of Israel. because the occupation of the State of Israel would be the only longterm source of water. agricultural resources. and international transportation.