A house RESOLUTION

 

to recognize judea and samaria as the ancestral heartland of the jewish people, to affirm the historical, biblical, and legal connection of the jewish people to judea and samaria, to reject the politicized term "west bank" and to stand in solidarity with the state of israel.

 

Whereas, the regions historically known as Judea and Samaria constitute the ancestral heartland of the Jewish people and comprise the historical, spiritual, and geographical core of the Land of Israel; and

 

Whereas, Judea and Samaria are repeatedly and explicitly referenced in the Hebrew Bible as the setting for key events that form the foundation of the Jewish people's religious and national identity; and

 

Whereas, Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish people, first entered the Land of Israel at Shechem, located in Samaria, where God promised the land to his descendants, as recorded in Genesis 12:6-7; and

 

Whereas, Abraham subsequently purchased the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, in Judea, as a burial place for his wife Sarah, thereby making the first recorded land acquisition by a Jew in the Land of Israel, as recorded in Genesis 23; and

 

Whereas, Jacob, Abraham's grandson, had his prophetic dream of a ladder reaching heaven while in Bethel, in Samaria, as recorded in Genesis 28:10-22, and later purchased land near Shechem, building an altar to God there, as described in Genesis 33:18-20; and

 

Whereas, Joseph, Jacob's son, was buried in Shechem in fulfillment of the promise made to him by his family, as recorded in Joshua 24:32; and

 

Whereas, the covenant ceremony between the children of Israel and God was performed on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, both located in Samaria, as commanded in Deuteronomy 11:29; and

 

Whereas, the Tabernacle, which was the center of Israelite worship prior to the construction of the first temple in Jerusalem, stood in Shiloh, in Samaria, for several centuries, as recorded in Joshua 18:1; and

 

Whereas, King David began his reign over the tribes of Israel in Hebron, in Judea, where he ruled for seven years before establishing his kingdom in Jerusalem, as described in 2 Samuel 2:1-4; and

 

Whereas, Jerusalem, which sits historically on the border of the tribal territories of Judah and Benjamin, was purchased by King David from Araunah the Jebusite and became the eternal capital of the Jewish people, as recorded in 2 Samuel 24:24; and

 

Whereas, the return of the Jewish people to Judea and Samaria in modern times constitutes the fulfillment of numerous biblical prophecies, including Jeremiah 31:5, Ezekiel 36:8, and Amos 9:14; and

 

Whereas, the names "Judea" and "Samaria" are the historically, biblically, and legally accurate terms for the region, while the term "West Bank" was imposed by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan during its illegal occupation of the region between 1948 and 1967; and

 

Whereas, the term "West Bank" is a political construct designed to sever the land from its Jewish historical and biblical roots and to obscure the deep historical, religious, and legal connections of the Jewish people to the land; and

 

Whereas, during the Six-Day War of June 1967, the State of Israel liberated Judea and Samaria from Jordanian control, restoring Jewish access to their ancestral homeland and holy sites after nineteen years of exclusion; and

 

Whereas, without Judea and Samaria, the width of Israel is only nine miles at its narrowest point, rendering the nation militarily indefensible and placing more than seventy percent of Israel's population and economic infrastructure at risk; and

 

Whereas, the highlands of Judea and Samaria overlook Israel's coastal plain, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Ben-Gurion International Airport, making Israeli control of these areas essential to national defense; and

 

Whereas, the ideological conflict over Judea and Samaria represents a broader civilizational struggle between Judeo-Christian values and radical ideologies that seek to undermine Western democratic principles and religious freedom; and

 

Whereas, numerous American towns and cities bear the names of biblical locations in Judea and Samaria, illustrating the deep cultural and spiritual bond between the United States and the biblical Land of Israel; and

 

Whereas, under the San Remo Resolution of 1920 and the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, the international community recognized the right of the Jewish people to reconstitute their national home in their ancestral land, including Judea and Samaria, rights that remain preserved under Article 80 of the United Nations Charter; and

 

Whereas, no international agreement or resolution has lawfully revoked or superseded these foundational legal rights; and

 

Whereas, the security and sovereignty of the State of Israel in Judea and Samaria serve the strategic interests of the United States by preventing the emergence of terrorist-controlled regimes, promoting regional stability, and affirming the Judeo-Christian heritage upon which American constitutional democracy is founded. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution:

1. recognize Judea and Samaria as the ancestral heartland of the Jewish people and affirm the historical, biblical, and legal connection of the Jewish people to this land;

2. reject the use of the politicized term "West Bank" and affirm that "Judea and Samaria" are the historically, biblically, and legally accurate names for the region;

3. urge all agencies, departments, boards, commissions, and institutions of the State of South Carolina to utilize the historically accurate term "Judea and Samaria" in place of the politicized term "West Bank" in official communications, publications, educational materials, and other governmental documents, to the fullest extent practicable;

4. stand in unwavering solidarity with the State of Israel and support Israel's right to defend itself, its citizens, and its sovereign territory; and

5. affirm the moral clarity of supporting Jewish sovereignty in Judea and Samaria as consistent with the values of truth, justice, religious liberty, and the Judeo-Christian heritage.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to Governor McMaster, the Prime Minister of Israel, the Ambassador of Israel to the United States, and the members of the South Carolina Congressional Delegation.

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