Judea and Samaria are the historical and biblical names for the mountainous region now commonly referred to as the West Bank. These names derive from the ancient Israelite kingdoms that existed in this territory and have been in continuous use for over 3,000 years.

Judea (in Hebrew “Yehuda”) was the southern kingdom centered around Jerusalem, while Samaria (in Hebrew “Shomron”) was the name of the northern kingdom’s capital city and later the entire northern region. Archaeological evidence, including inscriptions, coins, and ancient texts, confirms the long-standing Jewish presence in these areas.

During the Jordanian occupation between 1948-1967, the term “West Bank” was introduced as a geographic descriptor (referring to land west of the Jordan River). After Israel gained control of the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War, the historical names Judea and Samaria returned to common usage, particularly in Israeli government documents and among those emphasizing the Jewish historical connection to the region.