Johnson vows to end use of term 'West Bank' in federal government, use 'Judea and Samaria' instead

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday told Israeli officials during a meeting in Ariel, Israel, that he would push to end the use of the term "West Bank" in the federal government, replacing it with "Judea and Samaria" instead.

The commitment occurred during the speaker's visit to the region with several other U.S. lawmakers and Trump administration officials. Johnson's trip included a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Shiloh on Monday night.

The trip came as the Jewish Yesha Council calls for Israeli sovereignty to be applied in the West Bank, which is located along the western bank of the Jordan River, which is a significant part of the border between Jordan and Israel.

The council recently passed a resolution declaring “Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley are an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, the historical, cultural, and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people," according to the Jerusalem Post.

Johnson told members of the council that he would work to eliminate the term "West Bank" from the federal government and that he came to the war-torn country to strengthen strategic ties between Israel and the U.S. and increase familiarity with the area.

“Every corner of this land is important to us," Johnson said. "It is an inseparable part of our faith, and therefore, its meaning to us is tremendous. But to be here, exactly where you are, at the true cradle of our beliefs, is even more significant.”

United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his daughter Arkansas GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also accompanied Johnson to the region.

“America has many friends and allies, but truly only one genuine partner, and that is Israel," Sanders said in a statement.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.