Tennessee will no longer recognize the Middle Eastern region known as the West Bank in official state documents.
The General Assembly voted to change all official references to the region to “Judea and Samaria,” as it’s referred to in the Bible.
“The ideological and cultural conflict over Judea and Samaria represents a broader civilizational struggle between Judeo-Christian values,” HB 1446/SB 1663 reads. “Radical Islamic ideologies … seek to undermine Western democratic principles and religious freedom.”
Evangelical activist Laurie Cardoza-Moore, who led a campaign against the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, testified in favor of the bill.
“These names carry deep historical and biblical significance. They connect us directly to scripture and to the origins of our faith in a way that modern terminology simply does not,” Cardoza-Moore said.
Former University of Tennessee men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl also lobbied for the name change, arguing before committee that the state should embrace its religious heritage.
“Being a Tennessee volunteer carries a historical and a symbolic meaning — the willingness to step up as we did in the War of 1812 and to help Tennessee’s first basketball team go to the Elite Eight. Loyalty, state pride, toughness, resilience, embracing the Judeo-Christian principles on which this country was founded,” Pearl said.
Anwar Arafat, a Palestinian American from Memphis, opposed the bill. As an imam, Arafat argued that the land known as the West Bank was also called Canaan, a more politically-neutral name.
“I have relatives that have been killed during this genocide,” Arafat said. “As we bury our dead, this legislature is being asked to pass a bill that says that they were never there to begin with.”
Daniel Joseph Goldberg, a member of Nashville’s Sherith Israel Congregation who once lived in Israel, also argued that “Judea and Samaria” isn’t a neutral name.
“This bill is actually merchandising and marketing for a forever war that is both unholy and not in the interests of the people of the United States,” Goldberg said.
Of the three Republican state Senators to vote against the measure, Sen. Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville, said that kids should learn the term “West Bank” in schools, pointing to the fact that Israeli officials use that name as well.
“They need to learn the modern geography to help them in the world,” Briggs said. “Do I like all the unfairness on both sides of the politics and injustices that occurred in the Middle East? Absolutely not, but … the children, they have a hard enough time even finding France and Great Britain on a map, much less Samaria and Judea.”
The bill’s sponsors added an amendment addressing Briggs’ concerns, clarifying that the bill is not intended to limit classroom discussions.
Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, whose district includes the majority of the city’s Muslim population, argued on the Senate floor that the legislature needs to focus more on addressing affordability concerns.
“This is not a congregation. We are not here to debate scripture,” Oliver said. “The people who elected me feel like legislation like this erases their heritage, erases their homeland.”
“The majority of the folks that send me up here support this legislation,” replied bill sponsor Sen. Paul Rose, R-Covington, before calling for a final vote.
The measure now heads to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature.
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