Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight visited Jewish communities in the West Bank on Wednesday, asking why the region isn't called by its biblical name of Judea and Samaria.
"I don't understand why Judea and Samaria is called the West Bank, when it's clear that if you look at a map Samaria is at the heart of the land of Israel," the veteran movie star said, according to a statement from the Shomron Regional Council.
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During the visit to Jewish settlements in Samaria, Voight was presented with a bottle of wine from the Har Bracha winery. Yossi Dagan, head of the regional council, gave Voight the bottle, saying that it is "a great honor to host an important actor like you and more importantly a friend of Israel." Voight, 83, won best actor at the 51st Academy Awards for his role in 1978's "Coming Home."
He is in Israel to shoot a new movie. Voight is a long-time supporter of the Jewish state and of the Chabad religious movement, making frequent appearances on the annual "To Life" Chabad telethon in Los Angeles. He is politically conservative in left-leaning Hollywood, backing former president Donald Trump during the 2016 election and in 2019 calling him "the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln."
He was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 2019 at a ceremony at the White House. The National Medal of Arts is the highest honor given by the US government to artists and arts patrons.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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