Florida A&M University’s Marching 100 kicks off the start of the 2026 legislative session in Tallahassee.
* A Florida lawmaker has proposed a bill to replace the term “West Bank” with “Judea and Samaria” in official state documents.
* The bill’s sponsor argues the change is for historical accuracy, while opponents call it an attack on Palestinian people.
* An amendment to the bill would also extend the ban on the term “West Bank” to school instructional materials.
A Florida lawmaker is looking to ban official government documents in Florida from using the term “West Bank,” a Palestinian territory west of the Jordan River, and to replace it with “Judea and Samaria.”
Rep. Chase Tramont, R-Port Orange, told the House Government Operations Subcommittee that his measure (HB 31) is about being “historically accurate.”
“Words matter, and as a history teacher, I think we should teach facts – not politically charged propaganda,” Tramont said.
In addition to the ban of the term “West Bank” in government documents, Tramont presented an amendment that would extend the ban to using the term in school instructional materials.
The bill cleared with one ‘no’ vote from Rep. Daryl Campbell, D-Fort Lauderdale. Its next and final committee stop before a floor vote is the House State Affairs Committee, and its Senate companion bill has its first committee stop Jan. 26.
Judea and Samaria referred to as ‘heartland of the homeland’
Using the terminology Judea and Samaria for the area is often pushed by those who back Israel having permanent control of the area. In recent months, however, President Donald Trump vowed that he wouldn’t let Israel annex the region.
Similar measures are being introduced in state legislatures across the country, including Tennessee and Arizona.
But these other measures differ from Florida in that they include in the bill text that the region is the “ancestral heartland of the Jewish people.” Florida’s bill focuses solely on official government material, like press releases or documents.
Speakers who opposed the measure called it an attack on Palestinian people. One advocate, Adam Abutaa of Emgage Action Florida, a Muslim American advocacy group, said restricting the term used by international bodies is “government mandated speech.”
“It undermines free expression and academic freedom, values that should matter to all Floridians,” Abutaa said.
Abutaa continued by saying Florida didn’t have the authority to rename foreign territories and that it should be left to Congress, but also that it targets Palestinians who live in Florida with the West Bank on their passports as their place of birth.
“It also raises the alarming possibility that simply using the term West Bank, the term used by our own federal government, could be mischaracterized as hateful, chilling speech,” he added.
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Stephany Matat is based in Tallahassee, Fla. She can be reached at [email protected]. On X: @stephanymatat.
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