Arkansas State Rep. Mindy McAlindon, who introduced a bill that passed last month to refer to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria, told The Jerusalem Post that the legislation is rooted in historical facts.

“I felt that the area should be recognized as Judea and Samaria. That is the rightful name of the land,” she said. “I really felt it was important to speak the truth and use the term Judea and Samaria, because ‘West Bank’ is a relatively new and highly politicized term.”

When McAlindon introduced the bill, she received a great deal of support, but there were also voices of criticism.

“I heard people testify against it, saying it was about picking sides, that it wasn’t the right thing to do. They said the land had been inhabited by many different people over the decades and centuries, and could be referred to in many different ways,” she said.

“There was even a Jewish woman who testified in the Senate against the bill. But my response was: This land was given to the Jews centuries ago,” she said.

Arkansas passes law recognizing Judea and Samaria, bans 'West Bank' term in official use (credit: American Friends of Judea and Samaria)
Arkansas passes law recognizing Judea and Samaria, bans 'West Bank' term in official use (credit: American Friends of Judea and Samaria)
“It has always been their land,” McAlindon continued. “The fact that others may have come and occupied it at different points in time doesn’t change what it truly is.”

Arkansas visit from AFJS founders

This week, Rafi Lazerowitz and Yigal Dilmoni, the founders of the organization American Friends of Judea and Samaria (AFJS), visited Arkansas to present McAlindon with a certificate of appreciation and honorary membership in the AFJS.

“Even though we live far apart, we are deeply connected because we share the same values,” Dilmoni told her.

Knesset Speaker MK Amir Ohana together with MK Dan Illouz (Likud) and MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party) congratulated McAlindon by phone on the success of her initiative.

“I would like to thank you for this important move,” Ohana said. “Recognizing Judea and Samaria shows that the Jewish people were never conquerors or occupiers of their ancestral land.”

The bill prohibits Arkansas agencies from using the term “West Bank” in official government documents, press releases, and other communications.

It passed in the Arkansas House of Representatives last month and was later signed into law by Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The law is set to go into effect in the coming weeks.

Now that McAlindon considers the mission “accomplished” in Arkansas, she’s thinking about the next steps.

“I hope I can get other states to pass similar legislation. I think it’s really important for us as a country to show that support,” she said. “After the events of October 7, people began to realize the importance of terminology. Words have meaning.”