By FrumNews.com

The Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation directing state agencies to use the historically accurate name “Judea and Samaria” in place of the politically charged “West Bank” in official state materials.

The “Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act” reflects the enduring historical and cultural ties of the Jewish People to their ancestral homeland and reinforces the importance of the use of accurate place names in government affairs, media, and public conversation.

“We applaud Tennessee’s lawmakers for their leadership and commitment to historical truth,” stated Moshe Phillips, chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI). “At a time of increasing misinformation and the targeting of Israel, this bill sends a clear message about the important significance of recognizing the Jewish People’s deep ties, since the times of the Bible, to the Land of Israel. The city of Hebron is in Judea and is the ancient resting place of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah; this testifies to the Jewish heritage of this region.”

The bill focuses on Israel’s right to the land, both strategically and historically. It directs state agencies to use the historically accurate name “Judea and Samaria” in place of the politically charged “West Bank” in official state materials.

“The strategic importance of Judea and Samaria to the State of Israel is irrefutable,” HB 1446/SB 1663 reads. “Without Judea and Samaria, the width of Israel is only nine miles at its narrowest point, between Netanya and Tulkarm, rendering the state militarily indefensible.” Furthermore, the bill recognizes that “Israel’s control of Judea and Samaria is essential to its defense and deterrence capabilities. Hostile control of the area would place Israel’s major cities and transportation arteries at risk.”

“The ideological and cultural conflict over Judea and Samaria represents a broader civilizational struggle between Judeo-Christian values,” it reads. “Radical Islamic ideologies that seek to undermine Western democratic principles and religious freedom.”

It continues, “Supporting Jewish sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is an affirmation of: (A) The moral and historical legitimacy of the Jewish people’s connection to their land; (B) The authenticity and enduring relevance of the Bible; and (C) The values that underpin both Western civilization and American constitutional democracy.”

The bill passed 24-8 in the Senate, and 70-22 in the House of Representatives. It now heads for the governor’s signature.

On the Federal Level

Since the Six-Day War, the U.S. Government — as well as state governments — hasn’t recognized the name of the Yehuda and Shomron (secularly known as Judea and Samaria) region. Rather, it uses the term “West Bank,” which implies that the region is Jordan’s and not historically part of Eretz Hakodesh.

In 1995, the Clinton administration changed longstanding U.S. policy. It required “Made in West Bank” country-of-origin (COO) labels for Israeli goods produced in Judea and Samaria, even though the U.S. government treats these products as “articles of Israel” for trade purposes. In 2016, the Obama administration republished these labeling guidelines as part of a broader effort to oppose the Israeli government.

In 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States would formally recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Yehuda and Shomron. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, under Biden, reversed this position, stating the Biden administration’s disappointment in Israel’s recent decision to expand its Yishuvim in the region. This condemnation comes in spite of the fact that under the Oslo Accords, Israel was granted full military and civilian control over the majority of Yehuda and Shomron.

At the federal level, several bills have been introduced in the House or Senate over the years, primarily the “RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria Act, which FrumNews.com reported on in 2024. In 2025, Sen. Tom Coton and Rep. Claudia Tenney reintroduced it. This bill would require the use of historically accurate terminology and align U.S. policy language with the region’s geographical and cultural significance.

“The Jewish people’s legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria goes back thousands of years. The U.S. should stop using the politically charged term West Bank to refer to the biblical heartland of Israel,” said Senator Cotton.

“The Israeli people have an undeniable and indisputable historical and legal claim over Judea and Samaria,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “We are working to reaffirm Israel’s rightful claim to its territory. I am dedicated to working with President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio, and Ambassador Huckabee to support communities in the region while opposing the establishment of a hostile state that promotes terrorism in Judea and Samaria. I remain committed to defending the integrity of the Jewish state and fully supporting Israel’s sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.”

“The Friends of Judea and Samaria Caucus expresses the deep friendship between the American people and the biblical heartland, Judea and Samaria,” said Yossi Dagan, Governor of Samaria. “The founding fathers of the United States were influenced by the Bible, which is the reason for biblical names in many cities in the United States. Judea and Samaria is not only a matter of historical justice, but also the protective belt of the State of Israel – and therefore also of the United States, which shares our values and the fight against the same threats.”

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FrumNews.com notes it is mind-boggling that some “Frum” news websites, when they copy and paste their news syndicate(s) daily from the far-left, liberal media, publishing the news to their frum readers and audience, continuously use the term “Occupied Territories” or “West Bank” instead of Yehuda and Shomron. As well as other anti-Frum and anti-Yidden terminology, which we noted in our mission statement article.