Arizona Formally Adopts 'Judea and Samaria' in Official State Communications

The Arizona Legislature has approved a resolution taking a formal position on one of the most disputed territories in the Middle East and the language used to describe it.

House Concurrent Resolution 2047, sponsored by State Representative David Livingston (R-AZ), passed the Arizona Senate this week after clearing the House in February with bipartisan support.

The resolution declares that Arizona officially recognizes Israel's sovereignty over the territory known internationally as the West Bank, referring to it instead by the biblical names Judea and Samaria.

It also directs the state government to use those terms in all official communications going forward.

The resolution argues that the term "West Bank" is a modern political label introduced during Jordan's occupation of the territory between 1948 and 1967, and that Judea and Samaria are the historically and biblically accurate names for the region.

Representatives Support

"Judea and Samaria are central to Jewish history and faith," Rep. Livingston said in a statement. "They are not political labels to be swapped out for convenience."

Israeli Consul General Israel Bachar then praised the resolution, calling Arizona a leader among U.S. states in strengthening ties with Israel.

He pointed to previous Arizona legislation, including a 2016 law targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and a 2022 measure adopting a formal definition of antisemitism, as part of a pattern of pro-Israel policymaking in the state.

The resolution's characterization of Israeli sovereignty over the territory reflects a position that remains disputed internationally. Palestinians and much of the international community view the region as occupied territory, while Israel considers it sovereign land.

The status of the area is one of the central points of contention in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"This resolution affirms what is true and rejects language created to deny it," Livingston concluded.