Judea and Samaria belong to Israel, declares House Speaker

Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson American delegation during trip to Israeli city in Samaria, declares Judea and Samaria belong to Israel.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

A delegation of American lawmakers visited Israeli communities in Samaria on Monday, during a trip hosted by the Israeli settlement movement.

The delegation was headed by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), and included US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee; his daughter, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders; Heather Johnston, president of the US Israel Education Association; Rep. Nathaniel Q. Moran (R-Texas); Rep. Claudia L. Tenney (R-New York); Rep. Michael J. Cloud (R-Texas); and Rep. Michael T. McCaul (R-Texas).

The trip was organized by the US Israel Education Association and hosted by the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization representing all Israeli municipal governments in Judea and Samaria.

Israel Gantz, chief of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha council, and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan accompanied the US delegation during their visit to Samaria.

The American delegation visited Shiloh, the site of the biblical town which housed the Tabernacle – now home to the modern Israeli community of Shilo, home to some 5,100 people.

The lawmakers also visited the city of Ariel in Samaria, where Speaker Johnson addressed an event hosted by Mayor Yair Chetboun.

During his speech, Speaker Johnson called for the use of the term “Judea and Samaria” rather than “West Bank” to describe the territories west of the Jordan River occupied by Jordan from 1948 to 1967, highlighting the historic Jewish connection to the area.

“The Bible teaches that the hills of Judea and Samaria were promised to the Jewish people and belong to you by right,” Johnson said. “The world may not see it that way, but we do.”

“Judea and Samaria are the front lines of the State of Israel and must remain an integral part of it.”

Johnson, number three in the federal chain of command after the president and vice president, is the highest-ranking American official to visit Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria.

Marc Zell, the chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, hailed Johnson’s visit as a “historic moment in US-Israel relations.”

“US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said that while America has many allies and friends in the world, it has only one true partner: Israel. Today’s visit proves this beyond any doubt.”

Prior to Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, Johnson had been slated to visit Israel on June 22, with a planned address to the Knesset.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana met with Johnson on Tuesday, praising him for his support for Israel.

“The first Speaker and highest-ranking American official ever to visit Judea and Samaria, our cradle as a people,” Ohana tweeted.

“Even on a private visit, Speaker Johnson’s commitment to our shared Judeo-Christian values and history remains unwavering. Thank you, Mike. May God bless you.”