Nonprofit drives push to rename West Bank

Vivian Jones

Nashville Tennessean

USA TODAY NETWORK

Despite official U.S. foreign policy on the matter, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is poised to sign a bill that bans state entities from using the term 'West Bank' when describing the territory occupied by Israel, instead requiring the politically charged term 'Judea and Samaria.'

The effort is part of a nationwide legislative push by a group called the National Association of Christian Lawmakers. NACL is a far-right nonprofit that develops model legislation 'based on a biblical worldview.' Similar bills are being backed by NACL members in at least 12 states.

Tennessee Senate Republicans gave final approval to House Bill 1446 on April 9, with three Republicans voting in opposition. It passed the Tennessee House in March. The bill’s cosponsor, state Rep. Chris Todd, is Tennessee chair of the group, according to its website.

Using the term 'Judea and Samaria,' the Hebrew name for the Palestinian territory at the east of Israel, is part of a broader effort to legitimize Israeli settlements in the area. The Israeli government primarily refers to the area as the West Bank.

Todd proposed the bill before the beginning of the U.S. war with Iran, but the issue became fraught with the rising conflict.

'NACL has worked across the country to support policies that reflect the enduring historical and biblical significance of Judea and Samaria,' the organization’s founder Jason Rapert, a former Arkansas state senator, said in a statement. 'This legislation represents a growing movement among states to ensure that government language reflects reality, not political convenience.'

The bill sponsors acknowledged that it is not essential that Tennessee agencies refer to the West Bank as 'Judea and Samaria.'

'I’m not going to tell you that we need this. I don’t think it moves the needle for the state of Tennessee,' said sponsor state Sen. Paul Rose during Senate debate. 'I think it’s a philosophical statement.'

Rose went on to share 4,000 years of Jewish geographical history from Abrahamic times through the 1967 war.

It’s not clear how many, if any, references to the geographic area known as the West Bank are made in state documents. Todd said he did not know how many state documents or texts referred to the area.

'At its core, this is about truth. Competing narratives have emerged, one rooted in documented history, written records, consistent archaeological evidence, and longstanding tradition; the other shaped by distortion and political messaging,' Todd said. 'The language used by government matters, because it influences how citizens understand history, how it is taught, and what future generations accept as fact.'

Democrats argued the legislature should be spending its time solving problems that Tennesseans actually face. State Sen. Jeff Yarbro pointed out that the legislature is not trying to rename other regions, such as Gilead or Asia Minor, by their historic or biblical terms.

Rep. Chris Todd, Tennessee chair of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, proposed a bill that bans state entities from using the term 'West Bank' when describing the territory occupied by Israel, instead requiring the politically charged term 'Judea and Samaria.'

NICOLE HESTER/THE TENNESSEAN