The president and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), Troy Miller, has endorsed a resolution opposing using the term “West Bank” and adopting Judea and Samaria instead.
“NRB opposes the use of the erroneous term ‘West Bank’ to describe the biblical heartland of Israel and calls on its members to refer to the region by its historic name of Judea and Samaria,” reads the resolution, which was endorsed on Wednesday evening at the annual NRB convention.
The resolution was prepared as a collaboration between Israel365, The Israel Guys and the Israel Allies Foundation, with the encouragement of the broadcasting network. NRB has over 1,100 member organizations that reach millions of viewers, listeners, and readers.
The page-long resolution contains an explanatory preamble, highlighting that “Judea and Samaria are the biblical heartland of Israel, which includes sites such as Hebron, Bethel, Shiloh and Shechem, along with many other places with rich biblical heritage” and that “Scripture foretells both the exile and return of the Jewish people to Judea and Samaria.”
It also notes that “Judea and Samaria are critical to Israeli security, as the Samaritan mountains overlook the Israeli coast, including Tel Aviv and other major population centers, including Israel’s international airport” and that “the presence of the Jewish people in Judea and Samaria in modern times is a blessing to the Palestinians living there, as Israeli investment and jobs provide economic opportunity for their Palestinian neighbors.”
“People need to understand that language matters,” said Israel Allies Foundation president Joshua Reinstein, who spoke at the event. “The language in Israel has been taken over and is being held hostage. Terms that refer to beautiful things have turned into terrible things.”
Explaining the terms
He explained that the term “West Bank” is merely a geographical term applicable to the country of Jordan, which occupied the area from 1949 to 1967. Jordan renamed the West Bank for its location west of the Jordan River. However, he said, Judea and Samaria have been in the heartland of the people of Israel for thousands of years.
Miller said that Christians reading their Bibles look at the biblical map and see that Judea and Samaria are part of that land.
“I think your words matter today. And the truth matters as well,” Miller said. “It is time for us to step up and be honest about the truth of what’s happened in Israel, in the definition of this land.
“And so we are privileged and honored to stand beside you and endorse this resolution.”
He said he believes Christians across America will also endorse the resolution.