Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into law legislation that mandates state agencies to refer to the disputed territory as “Judea and Samaria" rather than the commonly used term “West Bank" in all official communications and documents, JNS reported.
The signing of the legislation into law occurred on Monday, according to the report.
The Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act, which was approved earlier this month by the Tennessee General Assembly, prohibits state entities from employing the term “West Bank" in guidance documents, regulations, press releases, briefings, and other government materials. Limited exceptions may be granted at the discretion of agency heads.
The legislation explicitly declares that “Judea" and “Samaria" represent “historically, biblically and legally accurate terms" for the region.
Yigal Dilmoni, CEO and co-founder of American Friends of Judea and Samaria, the organization that spearheaded educational and public awareness efforts in the United States regarding the area, welcomed the development in comments to JNS.
“It slowly will change the narrative for Israel," Dilmoni said. “It’s very important, not only for Israel, but also for the United States, that people will be more familiar with the real history, and will fight against all the lies spoken about Israel."
“They are starting to speak the truth, and to teach the children the truth," he added.
Dilmoni further told JNS that updating official government terminology to reflect the historical and biblical names of the region serves to further unite Israel and the United States.
He emphasized that the two countries “share the same interest, not only in this war, but also in sharing the truth."