It's time to make Judea and Samaria great again - opinion

A little over a week ago, a resounding call to strengthen Israel’s Biblical heartland went forth from the American heartland. National Religious Broadcasters, representing over 1,100 member organizations, gathered last month for their annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee. While always pro-Israel, this year NRB sharpened its message on account of the war: Israel is God’s land, and the Jewish people must keep it all.

With 5,000 attendees, the NRB convention is America’s largest gathering of faith-based communicators. Many programs and panels were dedicated to the Hamas war and featured Israeli speakers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a video message and Tourism Minister Chaim Katz and MK Ohad Tal spoke at different sessions. Two of the largest Israel events at the NRB centered around the importance of Judea and Samaria.

Appalled at the dramatic increase in media bias against Israel, National Religious Broadcasters took a leading role in countering the false, anti-religious narrative. NRB president and CEO Troy Miller adopted the Accuracy in Media Biblical Heartland Resolution drafted by the Israel Allies Foundation and Israel365, the organization I founded. The resolution states that “NRB opposes using the erroneous term ‘West Bank’ to describe the Biblical heartland of Israel and calls on its members to refer to the region by its historic name of Judea and Samaria.”

Liberal media often adopt hostile rhetoric and misleading terminology to craftily deny Jewish legitimacy to their land. There is no more egregious example than Israel’s heartland that is often called “occupied territory” or the “West Bank,” but which Israel refers to as “Judea and Samaria.” The NRB’s adoption of the Accuracy in Media Biblical Heartland Resolution demonstrates a commitment by American religious broadcasters to Israeli sovereignty over the land God promised to the Jewish people. Israeli sovereignty is not a question of politics, but a matter of faith.

A new movement to uphold the land

The efforts to uphold Israel’s right to the entire Land of Israel continued with the launch of Keep God’s Land, a new movement of Christians and Jews on behalf of Judea and Samaria. Prominent politicians, rabbis, pastors, and media personalities addressed the attendees alongside the keynote address by former US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.

FOR THE first time, Friedman publicly presented an alternative to the two-state solution that the White House has championed despite Israel’s opposition. Israel’s government has made it crystal clear that after October 7, rather than a solution, Palestinian statehood is a delusion. Israel’s cabinet rejected Palestinian statehood unanimously and in a wider vote; some 99 Knesset members did the same. 

Yet even Israel’s most loyal allies, including influential Republican leaders, have repeatedly stated their support for a two-state solution because of a lack of other options. After all, who doesn’t want a solution to a seemingly endless and bloody conflict? This is why the “Friedman Plan for Lasting Peace” is so significant.

Unlike the previous “Deal of a Century” promoted by the Trump administration, Friedman’s plan rejects Palestinian statehood. He argued that after October 7, giving Palestinian Arabs a sovereign state would reward terrorism, and called for Israeli sovereignty throughout Judea and Samaria’s areas A, B, and C. (A is under full Palestinian Authority control, C is under full Israeli control, and B is militarily controlled by Israel and civilly controlled for Palestinians by the PA.) The former US ambassador proceeded to outline the biblical, historical and legal basis for his plan.

Friedman explained that Arabs would have limited voting rights so as not to overrun Israel demographically. “There is enough room in the world for one Jewish state,” he said. His out-of-the-box solution for limited voting rights is not without precedent. The ambassador explained that the United States controls several territories such as Puerto Rico, whose residents enjoy legal rights but not the right to vote in federal elections.

The significance of Friedman’s peace plan was not only in substance but in its context, coming right before the NRB’s Presidential Forum featuring former President Donald Trump. The currently leading Republican candidate dedicated a significant portion of his address touting his accomplishments on behalf of Israel, to rousing applause and standing ovations.

Although America’s most prominent pastors and Conservative media leaders were present, former President Trump called just one person out of the massive crowd to join him on stage: his long-time attorney and former ambassador. Friedman walked up the steps and shared heartfelt and personal remarks on behalf of the Israeli hostages, showing Trump and the more than 2,000 audience members the dog tags around his neck.

Will the Friedman plan for Judea and Samaria become policy in a Trump second term? Many of the broadcasters at the NRB were wondering exactly that. Trump’s invitation to his former ambassador to join him onstage in front of such a large and influential audience is a strong signal that Friedman could once again occupy a key position with policy-making influence, should his old boss win reelection in November.

Between the NRB adopting the Accuracy in Media Biblical Heartland Resolution and the presentation of the Friedman “Plan for Lasting Peace” at the Keep God’s Land launch event, it is clear that Christian media is deeply committed to Judea and Samaria. The message that emerged from Nashville is that many Americans are ready to make Judea and Samaria great again.

The writer is the founder of Israel365 and editor of The Israel Bible, which are both dedicated to strengthening relationships between Jews and Christians in support of Israel. He also serves on the leadership committee of www.KeepGodsLand.com.