US Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have introduced bills to prohibit using the term “West Bank” in official US government documents, replacing it with “Judea and Samaria”- the name for the occupied area commonly used by Israel’s far-right and extremist settlers.
The proposed legislation aims to reinforce Israel’s claim to the occupied territory, which it captured during the 1967 war and has controlled ever since, according to a report by The New York Times on Tuesday.
The West Bank is home to over three million Palestinians, including families who were expelled or displaced from their homes in what is now Israel during the establishment of the state in 1948.
The bill has been pushed for by right-wing lawmakers in both the US and Israel who support the annexation of the West Bank—an area widely recognised by the international community as part of a future Palestinian state.
Their efforts appear to be emboldened by the return of Donald Trump, who has long positioned himself as the “most pro-Israel president in history”.
Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, argued that the US should “stop using the politically charged term West Bank,” asserting that “the Jewish people’s legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria go back thousands of years.”
Meanwhile, Representative Claudia Tenney, a Republican from New York, announced the formation of the Friends of Judea and Samaria Caucus, a congressional group dedicated to promoting policies that support Israel’s territorial claims.
The developments come just after Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, a meeting that sparked protests from pro-Palestinian activists.
Netanyahu’s visit was particularly controversial due to the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
When asked on Monday whether he supported Israel’s annexation of parts of the West Bank, Trump avoided a direct response but did not dismiss the idea.
On Tuesday, he said that he had not yet decided on Israel’s sovereignty over the West Bank but planned to make an announcement in the coming weeks.
He also claimed to have discussed with Middle Eastern leaders a proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza – an idea that has been widely rejected by Palestinians and Arab states.
The push to legitimise Israeli terminology in US politics could trigger further concerns about strengthening support for settlement expansion under a new Trump administration.
The West Bank’s Jewish settler population grew by 2.3 per cent last year, surpassing 529,450, according to WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com, which bases its figures on official Israeli government data.
The report’s director, Baruch Gordon, suggested that the number could increase “significantly” under Trump’s leadership.
Israel has built around 130 settlements and dozens of outposts in the West Bank, deepening its control over the territory.
The international community, including the former Biden administration, has overwhelmingly opposed these settlements, viewing them as a major obstacle to peace.
In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank was illegal, citing violations of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
The court further stated that Israeli policies in the territory amounted to “systemic discrimination” and that Israel had effectively annexed large portions of the land.
During his first term, Trump broke with long-standing US policy by forging close ties with settler leaders and unveiling a peace plan that would allow Israel to annex significant parts of the West Bank while keeping all existing settlements intact.
Critics have warned that continued settlement expansion will only fuel further conflict.
The situation in the West Bank has worsened since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, with over 800 Palestinians reportedly killed by Israeli forces since October 2023, according to the United Nations.
Settler violence against Palestinian communities has also surged.
Meanwhile, US congressional leaders have placed a hold on a $1 billion arms package for Israel, The Hill reported on Tuesday.
Two congressional aides confirmed that Democratic lawmakers had exercised a hold on the sale, which includes 4,700 1,000-pound bombs worth over $700 million and Caterpillar-made armoured bulldozers valued at more than $300 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.
While arms sales to Israel have historically enjoyed bipartisan support, growing concerns over Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Netanyahu’s policies towards Palestinians have led to increased opposition among Democrats.
