Republican U.S. senator introduces bill to ban federal use of 'West Bank' --Legislation would mandate federal government refer to Palestinian territory as 'Judea and Samaria,' Israel's preferred name | 5 Dec 2024 | A key Republican ally of President-elect Donald Trump introduced legislation Thursday in the Senate that, if enacted, would prohibit the federal government from using "West Bank" to refer to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory. Sen. Tom Cotton's legislation would mandate the federal government refer to the territory as "Judea and Samaria," Israel's preferred name. Cotton, who is the number three Republican in the Senate after reportedly being considered by Trump for CIA director or Pentagon chief, said the change "would require the use of historically accurate terminology." Representative Claudia Tenney introduced the act in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in March, but it stalled after being referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee.