Senate Votes To Ban ‘West Bank’ In Favor Of ‘Judea’ And ‘Samaria’

Under a bill passed by the West Virginia Senate Wednesday, state agencies would no longer be able to use the term “West Bank” in official government materials. 

Senate Bill 880 recognizes Israel as one of this country’s closest allies and requires state agencies to use “Judea” for land south of Jerusalem and “Samaria” for land north of Jerusalem. West Bank, said supporters of the legislation, is a term often used by opponents of Israel to discredit its claim to the land. 

“Our key ally, Israel, is under attack from all sides, especially with an attempt to erase its history,” said Sen. Tom Willis, R-Berkeley. “Names have power. This bill shows that West Virginia supports Israel and the Jewish people.”

Sen. Jay Taylor, R-Taylor, told his colleagues about a recent trip to the region.

“When you stand there, when you walk those hills and see those ancient sites, you learn something important: that land has been known for thousands of years as Judea and Samaria. Abraham walked there. Joshua built an altar there. The ancient kingdom of Israel had its capital there,” Taylor said. 

“This is not a political slogan. It’s the historical name of the land. Today, we simply say this: we will use accurate historical terminology. We will no longer adopt a language designated to delegitimize. We will not apologize for standing with America’s closest allies,” he added.  

“If we’re going to change the names for biblical references, we could also call Iran ‘Persia,’ Iraq ‘Babylon,’ and go back to Istanbul being ‘Constantinople,’” said Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Marion. “There’s so many important issues that we could be working on. And to me, this  just does not make sense, and for that reason, I’ll vote no.”

The bill passed 32-2 and now heads to the House of Delegates.