In a historic visit to the biblical heartland of Israel, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson declared his intention to remove the term “West Bank” from U.S. federal government language and replace it with the biblical names “Judea and Samaria,” reinforcing America’s growing alignment with Israel’s ancestral claims to the disputed region.
Speaking Monday in Ariel during a high-profile tour with senior Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers, Johnson called the region “an inseparable part of our faith.” He pledged to support efforts that affirm Israeli sovereignty over the area. The visit marked the first time a sitting Speaker of the House met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Judea and Samaria — specifically in Shiloh, the ancient site where the Tabernacle once stood.
“Every corner of this land is important to us,” Johnson told members of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization representing Jewish communities in the area. “Scripture teaches us that the mountains of Judea and Samaria were promised to the Jewish people, and they belong to them by right. But many people around the world do not see it like this… We stand entirely by your side.”
The U.S. delegation included former Arkansas Governor and Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, his daughter and current Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as well as Representatives Nathaniel Moran, Michael McCaul, Claudia Tenney, and Michael Cloud. Governor Sanders, who was the first U.S. state official to adopt “Judea and Samaria” terminology in official documents, reinforced the message: “America has many friends and allies, but truly only one genuine partner, and that is Israel.”
The visit comes at a pivotal moment, as the Yesha Council ramps up its campaign calling for the full application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. The council recently passed a resolution declaring the region and the Jordan Valley as “an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, the historical, cultural, and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people.”
Omer Rahamim, director-general of the Yesha Council, praised the visit as a milestone in U.S.-Israel relations, saying, “The fact that an American official of such rank visited Judea and Samaria for the first time proves that the United States sees this region as part of the State of Israel. Now the responsibility for sovereignty lies with the Israeli government.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu echoed those sentiments during his meeting with Johnson in Shiloh, stating that the strategic partnership between Israel and the United States has never been stronger.
Israel Ganz, chairman of the Yesha Council, said the American delegation was “choosing the right side of history,” and that recognition of the region as part of Israel would lead to “prosperity and improve living conditions for all residents.”
Ariel Mayor Yair Chetboun called the summit “a national and diplomatic mission,” expressing [joy] that the “capital of Samaria” was chosen for such a historic gathering. He described the meeting as “a historic moment of shared values, deep friendship, and strong partnership between the U.S. and Israel, and between the U.S. and Judea and Samaria, the place where the Jewish story began.”
The event was organized in partnership with the U.S.-Israel Education Association, headed by Heather Johnston, and is seen as a significant victory for advocates of biblical terminology and Israeli sovereignty over the territory.
As Washington inches closer to recognizing the historical identity of the region, Speaker Johnson’s bold stance signals a significant shift in U.S. policy, one that could reshape diplomatic language and geopolitical realities in the Middle East for years to come.
