The Arizona House of Representatives has affirmed Israel’s sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and will implement the terminology in official state communications.
On Monday, the House approved Resolution 2002 and Resolution 2047, which recognize the historical, biblical, and legal legitimacy of Judea and Samaria and formally reject the term “West Bank.” Instead, “Judea and Samaria” will be used in all official state communications, documents, and references.
The measures advanced with bipartisan support following approval by the House Appropriations Committee last week.
“Today, the Arizona House chose accuracy over politics,” said Republican Rep. David Livingston. “Judea and Samaria are not invented terms, and they are not negotiable facts. They are central to Jewish history, faith, and national identity, and Arizona will not participate in language meant to deny that truth.”
The resolutions also recognize the importance of Judea and Samaria to Israel’s security and to the interests of the US in preventing terrorist-controlled territory from emerging in the region.
“This vote shows that respect for history still matters,” Livingston added. “Arizona stands with Israel, speaks plainly about the facts, and refuses to bend to political pressure.”
The Republican visited Judea and Samaria in late 2025.
Israel applauds bill to replace West Bank for Judea and Samaria
Israeli Consul-General Israel Bachar applauded the Arizona House for replacing the “politically constructed term ‘West Bank’ with the indigenous names ‘Judea and Samaria.’”
“The Arizona House of Representatives attests [that] the indigeneity of Judea and Samaria and their rightful place in the history of the Holy Land and modern-day Israel are eternal and undebatable,” he added.
Bachar referred to the State of Arizona as the gold standard for state legislative initiatives that protect and enhance the US-Israel relationship at the state level.
Arizona already codified House Bill 2617 in 2016, which required state contractors to certify that they are not engaged in the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement, and it adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in 2022 through HB2675.