‘West Bank’ To Be Replaced With ‘Judea and Samaria’ In Official U.S. Docs

State legislators from Utah, Tennessee, Louisiana, Idaho, Alabama, Iowa and Oklahoma are following Arkansas’s lead pushing for a law compelling the use of the term “Judea and Samaria” in official documents when referring to what is currently known as the “West Bank.”

This initiative, spearheaded by Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, seeks to advance Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria whilst strengthening the United States’ recognition of the Jewish connection to the region, which is known as the cradle of the Bible.

Arkansas’s law came to be thanks to legislator McAlindon and Dagan and is a direct continuation of a federal bill proposed by the Judea and Samaria Lobby in Congress, initiated by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney with Dagan, and joined by over 20 other members of Congress.

Recently, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Brian Mast, committed to adopting the historical names.

Israeli Knesset Votes For Annexation

This news comes as Israel’s Knesset voted today 71–13 to annex Judea and Samaria, along with the Jordan Valley.

Whilst the vote is symbolic in nature, it’s also a show of support for the idea of annexing these areas.

Will Israel annex Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley? No, they will not. So why do these moves hold significance? As Israeli journalist Amit Segal explained: “it’s noteworthy for a few reasons. First, it comes after previous Knesset votes against the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

“In February 2024, for example, 99 of the Knesset’s 120 MKs supported the declaration that “Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state,” a move which he describes as being a “massive and unprecedented reward to terrorism and would foil any future peace settlement.

Today’s vote also received across-the-aisle support, such as from Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Liberman, who is anything but a fan of this government.”

“So while it won’t necessarily change anything on the ground, it sends a clear message of consensus on an issue that was once deeply contentious,” he says.

Why Annexation Matters

Annexing this land is important because if Israel does not annex the area, the risk of experiencing another October 7th increases, only this time, it would take place in the middle of Israel where millions of people live as opposed to 70,000 Israelis who live in the Gaza Envelope, which was the primary target on October 7.

In addition to the above, the idea of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria would make it easier for Israel to conduct counter terror operations.

More than anything, this vote holds significance because it’s Israel’s stamp of approval that the entirety of the land belongs to the Jewish people and will always belong to the Jewish people.

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