This bill, titled the "RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria Act," aims to establish a new official terminology for a specific geographic region. It expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Government should refer to the land annexed by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War by its historical names of "Judea and Samaria," with the land south of Jerusalem considered "Judea" and the land north considered "Samaria." Consequently, the bill mandates that the term "West Bank" should no longer be used in official government materials. A key provision prohibits the use of federal funds to prepare or disseminate any official government work product that refers to Judea and Samaria as the "West Bank." This prohibition includes a limited exception for obligations under international treaties or agreements, and the Secretary of State may waive it if deemed in U.S. interests with congressional notification. The legislation also mandates extensive conforming changes to various existing United States laws, replacing all instances of "the West Bank" with "Judea and Samaria" to align with the new terminology.
This bill, titled the "RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria Act," aims to establish a new official terminology for a specific geographic region. It expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Government should refer to the land annexed by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War by its historical names of "Judea and Samaria," with the land south of Jerusalem considered "Judea" and the land north considered "Samaria." Consequently, the bill mandates that the term "West Bank" should no longer be used in official government materials. A key provision prohibits the use of federal funds to prepare or disseminate any official government work product that refers to Judea and Samaria as the "West Bank." This prohibition includes a limited exception for obligations under international treaties or agreements, and the Secretary of State may waive it if deemed in U.S. interests with congressional notification. The legislation also mandates extensive conforming changes to various existing United States laws, replacing all instances of "the West Bank" with "Judea and Samaria" to align with the new terminology.