Forget the “West Bank” — the Florida House has voted overwhelmingly to replace the reference in all public and charter schools and state agencies with “Judea and Samaria.” The final vote was 92-14.
“Judea and Samaria” are the biblical names for the region in the Middle East and is how the Israeli government refers to the area. The international community, including the U.S. government, refers to the territory as the West Bank (of the Jordan River) and doesn’t recognize Israeli sovereignty there. Approximately 3 million Palestinians and half a million Israeli settlers live in the West Bank. [A legislative analysis accompanying the bill falsely states that Israel “liberated” the West Bank from Jordan in 1967. The West Bank is occupied territory as defined by international law.]
The bipartisan measure (HB 31) is sponsored by Rep. Debra Tendrich, D-Lake Worth, and Rep. Chase Tramont, R-Port Orange.
Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said that in the context of international law and United Nations diplomacy, the West Bank “is a term that the entire world uses, and it’s so important for us to respect that dynamic in the context of peace negotiations.”
However, Rep. Mike Gottlieb, D-Davie, argued that calling the area the West Bank is “akin to banning the historical archeological and historical name of the region, Judea and Samaria. It’s the same thing. It is a ban on Jewish heritage. Let’s right a wrong. Let’s restore the history and dignity of the people who are indigenous to the region by calling the area Judea and Samaria.”
Rep. Tendrich insisted the bill didn’t erase anyone’s history. “What it does do is it corrects political rebranding and counters historical erasure,” she said.
Last summer, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said while visiting Israel that he would work to stop the use of the term “West Bank” at the federal level, instead promoting exclusive use of “Judea and Samaria,” according to the Jerusalem Post. However, congressional legislation on that topic is not moving in Washington.
According to the House bill analysis, any fiscal impact would depend on the extent to which future materials contain the term.
Similar bills have been filed in red-leaning states, including Alabama. Tennessee, and Oklahoma
A companion measure in the Senate (SB 1106), sponsored by Ralph Massullo, R-Lecanto, has just one more committee stop before going to the floor.
–Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
Deborah Coffey says
Make America STUPID again and waste time and tax dollars! Enough, yet?
Pogo says
As stated
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank
DaleL says
Liberated in this context is false, but does contain some truth.
“[A legislative analysis accompanying the bill falsely states that Israel “liberated” the West Bank from Jordan in 1967. The West Bank is occupied territory as defined by international law.]”
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Transjordan, now know as just Jordan, occupied and annexed the part of Palestine that is now known as the West Bank. The annexation was considered as illegal by most of the international community, including the Arab League. Israel, in 1967, did in a sense liberate the West Bank from Jordan’s illegal annexation. However, in the true sense, the West Bank just switched illegal occupiers.
Pierre Tristam says
Good clarification, thank you.