Names are never neutral. They carry memory, sovereignty, and identity. The term “West Bank” is not an ancient geographic truth; it is a political label introduced in 1950 by Jordan after it seized territory historically known for millennia as Judea and Samaria—the cradle of Jewish civilization. To understand the modern conflict, one must confront the historical and biblical continuity that binds the Jewish people to this land, long before modern diplomacy, wars, or international resolutions existed.
The Bible establishes the Jewish connection to Judea and Samaria not as mythology but as covenantal geography. In Genesis, God explicitly ties the land to the descendants of Abraham:
“The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:8)
This promise is reinforced repeatedly throughout Scripture. When Joshua led the Israelites into the land, the allocation of territory included Judea and Samaria as core tribal inheritances. The biblical narrative situates Hebron—located in Judea—as the burial site of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, grounding Jewish historical presence in tangible geography.
History beyond Scripture confirms this continuity. Archaeological discoveries throughout Judea and Samaria consistently reveal Hebrew inscriptions, Israelite fortifications, ritual baths, and ancient synagogues. These findings are not political constructs; they are empirical evidence of uninterrupted Jewish habitation and governance for centuries prior to Roman conquest and later imperial occupations.
The modern political struggle emerged after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the British Mandate for Palestine. The 1917 Balfour Declaration and subsequent League of Nations Mandate formally recognized the Jewish historical claim and endorsed the establishment of a Jewish national home in this territory. When the United Nations proposed partition in 1947, Jewish leaders accepted the compromise despite territorial limitations. Arab leadership rejected it and initiated a war aimed at eliminating the nascent Jewish state.
Jordan’s invasion during the 1948 war resulted in the occupation of Judea and Samaria, including eastern Jerusalem. In the following year, Jordan annexed the territory and introduced the term “West Bank,” attempting to sever Jewish historical identity from the land. During Jordanian rule, Jewish communities were expelled, synagogues were destroyed, and Jews were barred from sacred sites such as the Western Wall and the Mount of Olives cemetery.
The Six-Day War of 1967 altered the geopolitical landscape when Israel captured the territory while defending itself against coordinated threats from surrounding states. From Israel’s perspective, this was not the seizure of foreign land but the recovery of ancestral homeland and access to sacred heritage sites. The Bible speaks directly to the inseparable bond between the Jewish people and their land:
“For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once again He will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob.” (Isaiah 14:1)
Critics frequently frame Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria as occupation, yet international law debates remain unresolved, particularly because Jordan’s annexation was widely rejected and no sovereign Palestinian state existed there prior to 1967. While Palestinian national identity developed over time and deserves serious consideration in diplomatic dialogue, historical reality cannot be rewritten to erase Jewish indigeneity.
Moreover, Scripture portrays the land not merely as territory but as covenantal inheritance tied to Jewish identity and survival. The Psalms emphasize this relationship with emotional clarity:
“If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.” (Psalm 137:5–6)
Peace in the region requires confronting historical truth alongside modern political realities. Denying the Jewish connection to Judea and Samaria does not promote reconciliation; it deepens division. Recognition of historical and biblical continuity provides a foundation for honest negotiation rather than ideological distortion.
Judea and Samaria are not relics of religious imagination or colonial expansion. They represent the geographic heart of Jewish history, faith, and national identity. Any durable peace must begin by acknowledging that the land is inseparable from the people whose story was written upon its hills long before modern borders were drawn.
Français 
English