This bill, titled the "RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria Act," aims to formally change the terminology used by the United States government when referring to a specific geographic region. It establishes a Sense of Congress that the U.S. government should refer to the land annexed by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War as "Judea and Samaria," defining Judea as south of Jerusalem and Samaria as north. Consequently, it states that the term "West Bank" should no longer be used in official government materials. The legislation explicitly prohibits the use of funds for preparing or disseminating any official government work product, such as policies, regulations, or press releases, that uses the term "West Bank." An exception is provided for obligations under international treaties, and the Secretary of State may issue a waiver if deemed in the U.S. interest, with notification to Congress. Furthermore, the bill mandates extensive conforming changes to several existing U.S. laws, including the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Taylor Force Act, to replace all instances of "West Bank" with "Judea and Samaria."
This bill, titled the "RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria Act," aims to formally change the terminology used by the United States government when referring to a specific geographic region. It establishes a Sense of Congress that the U.S. government should refer to the land annexed by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War as "Judea and Samaria," defining Judea as south of Jerusalem and Samaria as north. Consequently, it states that the term "West Bank" should no longer be used in official government materials. The legislation explicitly prohibits the use of funds for preparing or disseminating any official government work product, such as policies, regulations, or press releases, that uses the term "West Bank." An exception is provided for obligations under international treaties, and the Secretary of State may issue a waiver if deemed in the U.S. interest, with notification to Congress. Furthermore, the bill mandates extensive conforming changes to several existing U.S. laws, including the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Taylor Force Act, to replace all instances of "West Bank" with "Judea and Samaria."