Judea

Judea remained under Roman rule; persecution and barbarism reigned.

On Sunday, Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said the army was "at war with Islamic terrorism in Judea and Samaria" - the term Israel uses to describe the West Bank.

"I'm living in a place where my ancestors lived thousands of years ago. I do not live in occupied territory; I live in Biblical Judea and Samaria."

Hanukkah itself celebrates an ancient Jewish victory over the Seleucid Empire, which sought to impose Hellenistic culture and forced assimilation in Judea.

Huckabee, who denies the existence of a Palestinian identity, has vowed to keep sending weapons to Israel and support their occupation of the West Bank, which he refers to as Judea and Samaria.