A significant diplomatic achievement for Israel and Judea and Samaria: Legislators from Utah, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Idaho, Iowa, and Oklahoma announced over the weekend that they intend to promote a bill in their states requiring the use of "Judea and Samaria" instead of "West Bank" in official documents.
This move is part of a broader effort led by Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, to advance Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and to strengthen U.S. recognition of the Jewish connection to the region, which is known as the cradle of the Bible.
During the annual conference of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — the largest political body in the U.S. that includes thousands of legislators from 50 states — Dagan delivered a special speech to the legislators, presenting the importance of political recognition of the term "Judea and Samaria." The resolution was passed unanimously, and at the end of the conference, the legislators announced their intention to advance the initiative in local legislation.
This initiative follows a federal bill introduced in the U.S. Congress by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney in collaboration with Dagan, as well as the voluntary adoption of the proposal by Congressman Brian Mast, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Arkansas was the first state to pass the law, and now seven other states are joining it.
The law includes a statement that "Judea and Samaria are the biblical heartland of the Jewish people, and therefore, the State of Israel cannot be considered an occupier in these areas."
Dagan explained: "This is nothing less than a revolution. We are advancing the law together because it represents historical justice — the shared mission is to bring sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, the land of the Bible."
In his speech at the conference, he said, "I believe that our greatest enemy is ignorance. After realizing they cannot destroy the State of Israel with tanks and missiles, they are waging a war of propaganda and lies. Saying that Jews are occupiers in Israel, especially in Judea and Samaria, is ridiculous. The lie about the 'West Bank' or 'occupied territory' must end. We must put the truth on the table: Judea and Samaria are the heart of Israel, the place where all the biblical events took place, and where the prophecies were fulfilled. This bill, to end the lies in official documents, is incredibly important, and we have a mission together — to take this law and bring it to all the states in the United States. And after that, of course, to many other countries around the world. We are starting this historic effort today. With God's help, we will succeed — for justice, for Israel's security, and for the United States. In the name of the citizens of Judea and Samaria, in the name of all citizens of Israel, and in the name of all good and normal people in the world."
Senator Jim Dotson presented the law at the conference: "At the conference, we discussed the policy that Congresswoman McAlindon and I passed. The state of Arkansas now officially recognizes the historical names of Judea and Samaria and does not refer to the 'West Bank' in any of our official documents. We are presenting this proposal as a model policy that other states can adopt and bring back to their own legislatures. We are here with over 450 legislators from across the country."
Representative Mindy McAlindon thanked Dagan for the collaboration and emphasized the importance of the law: "It is a great honor to host Yossi Dagan here and present this bill. The West Bank is a political term. The land is defined by the biblical term and the historical names of Judea and Samaria. I think that if we look at the latest archaeological findings, we will find proof that the Jewish people were there 1,500 years before the Palestinian people appeared. Therefore, I believe this bill is certainly a statement, and we want to support our partners in this. It is very important to pass this as a model policy. One of the reasons is that once we have ALEC's approval, many states will be able to adopt this policy, present it in their legislatures, and hopefully pass it so that we can get all 50 states to stand behind the historical and biblical name of Judea and Samaria instead of the political term 'West Bank.' It is a great honor to be here with the head of the council, Dagan, who is speaking about this topic and clarifying to people what is happening in Judea and Samaria and the impact this has."
The law presented at the conference marks the beginning of the effort: About a month and a half ago, Arkansas became the first state in the U.S. to enact an official law that mandates the use of "Judea and Samaria" in all government documents — not "the West Bank."
The law was born out of cooperation between legislator McAlindon and Dagan. This move 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, Congressman Brian Mast, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, declared that the committee would also adopt only the historical names.