Judea and Samaria

Judea and Samaria (Hebrew: יהודה ושומרון‎ Yehuda ve-Shomron , also an acronym יו"ש Yosh or ש"י Shai; Arabic: اليهودية والسامرة al-Yahudiyyah was-Sāmarah) are the Biblical terms used to describe the area now more commonly referred to as the West Bank. It is the official name of one of the seven Districts of Israel (not recognised by the UN).

The geographical area of Samaria roughly corresponds to the territory of the ancient Kingdom of Israel with the capital in Shomron (Sebastia), while Judea (also Judaea) corresponds to the Kingdom of Judah with the capital in Jerusalem. After about 80 years of United Monarchy under Kings David and Solomon, the United Kingdom of Israel and Judea split into two independent kingdoms that occasionally went to war with each other. Referral to them as a unit is dating from the modern period, specifically the time of their occupation and annexation by Jordan. However, prior to the Jordanian occupation, the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 passed on November 29, 1947 used the term "Samaria and Judea" as part of the description of the border between the proposed Jewish and Arab/Muslim states.

Sometimes, the term "Judea and Samaria" is employed to distinguish it from the "West Bank", the latter term now thought to include also East Jerusalem and stretches of what used to be no-man's land between Israel and Jordan's West Bank. Following the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel, according to Israeli law, Judea and Samaria is considered Terra nullius^{[citation needed]}.

The names Judea and Samaria are also employed specifically as a collective term for the Jewish settlements in that area, especially by the settlers and their supporters.^{[citation needed]} Many Palestinians object to this term, which they perceive as a rejection of their rights to the land. Nevertheless, the term al-Yahudiyya was-Samarah is used by Arab Christians in reference to the Bible. ^{[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judea_and_Samaria}