House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast instructed his staff to use the term “Judea and Samaria,” the name favored by Israel, when referring to the territory known internationally as the West Bank, National Review has learned.

Israel’s government has used the term “Judea and Samaria,” which is the biblical name for the area, since the Six-Day War, which saw the end of Jordanian control over the territory.

Mast, a Florida Republican and U.S. veteran who served as a civilian volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces, is a staunch supporter of the Jewish state. After the October 7 massacre, videos of his contentious arguments with anti-Israel demonstrators who had flooded the halls of Congress circulated widely online, and he is poised to use his chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee to deepen U.S. support for Israel through diplomatic gestures and concrete policy actions.

In a memo addressed yesterday to the committee’s nearly 50 GOP staffers, Mast characterized the move as a “recognition of our unbreakable bond with Israel and the inherent right of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland.” Mast’s directive came as pro-Israel advocates converged on Washington this week for the AIPAC summit.

Moving forward, the committee will use the name in all of its official activities, he wrote, per a copy of the document obtained by NR. “Jewish roots in this region span centuries and we must recognize that fact in both word and deed,” it stated.

Mast also described the memo as a response to antisemitic sentiment around the world. “As a committee and as representatives of the American people, we must do our part to stem this reprehensible tide of antisemitism and recognize Israel’s rightful claim to the cradle of Jewish civilization.” Axios was first to report on the document.

The memo does not apply to the staff of the committee’s Democratic minority office, nor does it necessarily reflect the Trump administration’s position.

While the State Department continues to use the name “West Bank,” Republican members of Congress have long pushed for Washington to recognize the Hebrew name. One of those lawmakers, Representative Elise Stefanik, is President Trump’s designate for U.S. ambassador to the U.N. During a press conference this month, Trump declined to rule out Israeli control over parts of the territory.