Florida lawmakers move to ban use of ‘West Bank’ in schools and colleges

Florida lawmakers are advancing legislation that would prohibit the use of the term “West Bank” across K-12 public schools and state agencies, including public colleges and universities, and require the use of the term “Judea and Samaria” instead.

The proposal would apply not only to official state government materials but also to new instructional content and school library resources used in public schools. Florida is currently the only US state considering legislation that explicitly extends such a mandate to K-12 education.

What the “West Bank” refers to and why the name is contested

The West Bank is the internationally recognised name for the Palestinian territory west of the Jordan River that Israel captured from Jordan in 1967. While the international community broadly views the area as occupied territory intended to form part of a future Palestinian state, Israel’s rightwing government uses the term “Judea and Samaria”, invoking the biblical kingdoms of ancient Israel to support historical and religious claims to the land.

How the terminology entered US political lawmaking

The terminology has gained traction among US Republicans since Donald Trump’s first presidency. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, appointed by Donald Trump as US ambassador to Israel last year, has publicly embraced the language. Arkansas became the first US state to mandate replacing references to the “West Bank” with “Judea and Samaria” in state institutions in April last year, The Guardian reports. Similar proposals have been introduced in Congress but have not advanced to a vote.

Part of a broader reshaping of school content in Florida

Florida’s bill, titled the Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act, arrives amid a broader push by state lawmakers to reshape school curriculum and library materials. Recent legislative efforts have restricted content related to LGBTQ+ identities, race and racism, climate change, social justice movements, critical race theory and discussions of socialism.

Supporters frame the bill as correcting historical erasure

According to The Guardian, Democratic state representative Debra Tendrich of Lake Worth, one of the sponsors of the house bill HB 31, said the legislation was intended to counter what she described as the erasure of Jewish ties to the land. “Jordan coined the term West Bank, not for any other reason than to erase the Jewish connection from this land,” she told the house state affairs committee last week.

Critics warn of silencing Palestinian history and identity

Other lawmakers and advocacy groups raised concerns about the impact of the proposal. Democratic representative Angie Nixon of Jacksonville told the committee the measure “could be seen as an attack, an erasure of the Palestinian people”.

Adam Abutaa, Florida organising manager for the Muslim American advocacy group Emgage Action, said the bill “elevates one narrative while erasing another, restricting how educators, researchers, public institutions can speak about a region recognised by the US government and the international community”, as quoted by The Guardian.

William Johnson, Florida director of PEN America, told The Guardian that the legislation carried broader implications. “This bill does not operate in the abstract; it touches people’s histories, families and lived realities,” he said. “Our state is home to thousands of Palestinian Americans, many of whom have deep ties to the West Bank.”

Where the bill stands now

The house version of the bill, HB 31, cleared the state affairs committee on 27 January and is awaiting debate on the house floor. A parallel senate bill, SB 1106, has yet to advance through committee. Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the Florida legislature.
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