Tennessee, My Hero For Today

 Nadene Goldfoot                                           

         Can you find Judea and Samaria on his map of Palestine?  

 Keep your eye on the Jordan River and look below :

                                 Yellow means the land was under Jordan's rule until 1967.

                                  Red means under Egyptian rule until 1967

On April 27, 2026, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act into law, prohibiting state entities from using the term "West Bank" in official documents, instead requiring the use of "Judea and Samaria". The law, which takes effect July 1, 2026, targets state materials to align with biblical terminology and recognize the territory as the ancestral heartland of the Jewish people.

As of early 2026, multiple US states are enacting legislation to recognize "Judea and Samaria" instead of "West Bank" in official documents, with Arkansas leading, followed by states like Tennessee. Reports indicate up to 20 states are moving towards this, including Alabama, Florida, Utah, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Iowa.  

Florida, Alabama, Utah, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Idaho are also involved in advancing similar, sometimes uniform, legislation based on a model act supported by ALEC .

Then again:  Based on reports as of early 2026, neither Idaho nor Iowa have been finalized as the state that signed the bill to replace "West Bank" with "Judea and Samaria" in official documents. Instead, Arkansas is reported as the first state to sign such legislation into law, with Arizona also passing a resolution and several other states, including Tennessee, Alabama, and others, advancing similar legislation.  AI just can't make up its mind !  

Red states move to use 'Judea and Samaria' instead of 'West Bank' in official documents

State legislators from Utah, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Idaho, Iowa and Oklahoma to follow Arkansas in passing new laws favoring biblical name as settlement leader pushes for U.S. support for annexation 

The initiative, driven by lawmakers in collaboration with the Samaria Regional Council, aims to stop the use of the term "West Bank" in state-level official documents.

There is a simultaneous effort to pass a similar federal bill (H.R.902, "Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act").

"Judea and Samaria" is primarily used by the State of Israel as its official administrative term for the territory. While supported by some political groups in other countries, it is not used as an official name by any other country in the United Nations, which generally recognize the region as the "West Bank" or "Occupied Palestinian Territory."  The UN  always acts against Israel as it is, so this is not surprising.  

Purpose: Supporters, including the National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL), argue this recognizes the historical, biblical, and legal ties to the region, countering the use of "West Bank" as a political term that obscures Jewish history.

Waiver: Agency heads may request a waiver to use the term "West Bank" if they provide a written justification to the General Assembly.

Background: The legislation is part of a broader nationwide effort by conservative groups to influence how the Israeli-occupied territory is described.