Republican staffers were told by House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Brian Mast to refer to occupied West Bank from now on as "Judea and Samaria," according to an internal memo reviewed by Axios.

The directive, sent to 50 Republican staffers, said the committee will use "Judea and Samaria" in formal correspondence.

Wrote Mast: "In recognition of our unbreakable bond with Israel and the inherent right of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland, the House Foreign Affairs committee will, from here forward, refer to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria in formal correspondence, communication and documentation.

"Jewish roots in this region span centuries," 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," he added.

Israel's parliament this month moved to approve a bill to replace the "West Bank" with "Judea and Samaria."

Judea and Samaria refer to biblical regions that were a central part of the historic homeland of the Jewish people after 1200 B.C.

President Donald Trump is being pressed by a group of GOP lawmakers to recognize the West Bank as Israeli territory after Trump said he was looking into such a change.

"We're discussing that with many of your representatives," Trump said this month. "People do like the idea, but we haven't taken a position on it yet. But we will be making an announcement on that very specific topic in the next four weeks."