Arizona became the third U.S. state to pass an official resolution recognizing Judea and Samaria. The state’s House of Representatives and Senate approved a joint resolution calling on the state government to use the term “Judea and Samaria” in all official state documents instead of the 1950-era contrived Jordanian name of the “West Bank.” The term “West Bank” refers to the area west of the Jordan river, and prior to Jordanian annexation, the area was known as Judea and Samaria for thousands of years, including in the Bible.
The push in Arizona was led by State Representative David Livingston, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee. Livingston worked aggressively to advance the resolutions after touring Samaria as a guest of Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, and seeing the settlements and the strategic importance of the region up close. Dagan spoke with him about the injustice done to human and Jewish history when the areas are called “West Bank” instead of by their historical name.
The joint resolution effectively serves as an official and unequivocal recognition by Arizona of Judea and Samaria. Because it’s an official resolution of the legislature and not a regular law, the move doesn’t require the governor’s signature—approval by the House and Senate is enough to establish the position of the legislative authority.
The resolution passed in Arizona joins extensive advocacy efforts led by Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan and the council’s foreign relations unit team with legislators across the United States. So far, no fewer than 17 U.S. states are advancing similar legislation and resolutions for official recognition of Judea and Samaria, with a similar law recently approved in the Tennessee Senate by an overwhelming majority.
Representative David Livingston said during the Arizona Senate debate: “I was in Israel and we went to Samaria and it’s clear, so clear that this is Israel—the people, the culture, the history. It moved me so much that it was important that I run this bill. It’s biblical. Judea is mentioned in the Old and New Testament more than 50 times, Samaritan [sic] 125 times—real historical information.” The representative told the head of the Samaria Council after the bill passed: “We did it, I’m so proud, this is so important. God bless Israel, Arizona and the United States.”
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan welcomed the resolution’s approval in Arizona and said: “For years we’ve been hosting delegations from the United States. We travel there to explain the truth—Judea and Samaria is the heart of the Land of Israel, not the “West Bank.” State after state in the United States is adopting this clear law, the third state with a Democratic governor. I believe more than 20 states will enact this law and I hope the Israeli Knesset will also pass such a law, stating clearly—Judea and Samaria is not ‘the West Bank,’ it’s the heart of the biblical land, it’s not occupied territory and it’s ours forever.”