The word “West Bank” will no longer appear in Tennessee state documents. In a move that has sent shockwaves through both pro-Israel circles and Arab-American communities, the Tennessee General Assembly passed House Bill 1446 — the Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act — mandating that all state agencies, boards, and commissions replace the term “West Bank” with “Judea and Samaria” in all official communications. The bill now sits on Governor Bill Lee’s desk awaiting his signature, with the law set to take effect July 1, 2026.
The term “West Bank” was coined by Jordan after its illegal occupation of the territory following the 1948 war — a politically engineered label designed to sever the land from its 3,000-year Hebrew Bible identity. Tennessee’s legislation calls this out directly: the bill’s text states that the “ideological and cultural conflict over Judea and Samaria represents a broader civilizational struggle between Judeo-Christian values” and “radical Islamic ideologies that seek to undermine Western democratic principles and religious freedom.”
Leading the charge was Evangelical Christian Zionist activist Laurie Cardoza-Moore, who also serves on the Tennessee Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission. Cardoza-Moore, whose Focus on Israel television program reaches an audience of over two billion people worldwide, testified personally before the General Assembly and played a central role in rallying both Jewish and Christian leaders behind the legislation.
Laurie Cardoza-Moore (Photo courtesy)
“Judea and Samaria are not just names or political terms — they are a connection to truth, to history, and to our shared Judeo-Christian heritage,” Cardoza-Moore testified. She framed the use of “West Bank” as an assault on American heritage itself: “When we use the Biblical names, we stand against modern revisionism which seeks to erase that heritage — not only in that Land, but even here in our own Republic. Judea and Samaria are the Biblical, geographical, historical, and legal terms used for thousands of years to describe the mountains overlooking Israel’s coast. This is the cradle of our Faith. From towns like Shiloh and Beit-El (Bethel), from the plains of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee, this is not just Jewish history — it is Our history.”
Cardoza-Moore also made the legal case: “Even international law and early United Nations documents recognized these names — Judea and Samaria — long before the term ‘West Bank’ was introduced after Jordan’s occupation. The name matters. Because history matters.”
She connected the bill’s passage to the current moment of American-Israeli military cooperation: “As the United States and Israel stand together — shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart — in the cause of freedom and liberty, now is the time for us to honor that shared legacy. Let us speak the truth. Let us use the names our faith, our history, and our forefathers recognized — Judea and Samaria.”
The bill was sponsored in the House by Representative Chris Todd, who also chairs the NACL Tennessee State Chapter, and in the Senate by Senator Mark Pody. Former University of Tennessee men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl also testified before the legislature, arguing that the names “Judea and Samaria” are woven into the fabric of Western civilization. “Those names are a part of our civilization vocabulary,” Pearl said. “If public language replaces them with a political label that sends a message, it teaches that ancient names connected to the origins of our culture can be set aside.”
Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI), one of the country’s leading pro-Israel advocacy organizations, issued a strong statement praising the vote. “We applaud Tennessee’s lawmakers for their leadership and commitment to historical truth,” said AFSI Chairman Moshe Phillips. “At a time of increasing misinformation and the targeting of Israel, this bill sends a clear message about the important significance of recognizing the Jewish People’s deep ties, since the times of the Bible, to the Land of Israel. The city of Hevron (Hebron) is in Judea and is the ancient resting place of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah; this testifies to the Jewish heritage of this region.”
Opposition came from Arab-American and Muslim community leaders, as well as a handful of Republican state senators. Memphis imam Anwar Arafat, who testified against the bill, claimed the territory was historically called Canaan and argued the legislation erased Palestinian heritage. Senator Richard Briggs of Knoxville argued that children need to learn “modern geography,” citing the fact that some Israeli officials use the term “West Bank.” The bill’s sponsors responded by adding an amendment clarifying that classroom discussions are not restricted by the law.
The National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL), which spearheaded the campaign, confirmed it is pushing identical legislation in additional states across the country. NACL Founder Jason Rapert described the Tennessee vote as part of a national push for “government language to reflect reality, not political convenience.”
Tennessee is now the first state in the nation to formally ban the term “West Bank” from official government communications. If Governor Lee signs the bill — and there is every indication he will — the hills of Yehudah v’Shomron will be called by their rightful name in at least one American statehouse. The question is which state will be next.