Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a plaque formally renaming a three-decade-old settlement in the contested Golan Heights as ‘Trump Heights’ on Sunday.
“We are going to do two things — establish a new community on the Golan Heights, something that has not been done for many years. This is an act of Zionism and it is paramount,” Netanyahu said at a meeting of his cabinet, which was convened Sunday in the hamlet.
“The second thing is to honor our friend, a very great friend of the State of Israel — President Donald Trump, who recently recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.”
The settlement is currently known as Bruchim and was established more than 30 years ago. Just 10 people call it home. Israeli officials hope that renaming the town “Ramat Trump” — Hebrew for ‘Trump Heights’ — will bring a new wave of residents to expand the tiny town.
Netanyahu unveiled the sign with the new name alongside America’s Israeli ambassador, David Friedman.
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Friedman. Noting that Trump celebrated his birthday on Friday, he added: “I can’t think of a more appropriate and a more beautiful birthday present.”
Trump gave Netanhayu a huge political win during Israel’s most recent elections by endorsing the country’s annexation of the Golan Heights, a strip of mountainous land that separates the Jewish state from war-ravaged Syria.
Most other nations continue to consider the 1981 Israeli takeover of the land illegal under the international law.
Developing Trump Heights won’t be easy. The settlement is ringed by by high yellow grass and landmines and sits just 12 miles from the Syrian border — hours away from Israel’s economic center, Tel Aviv.
Israel is set to hold another round of elections in September after Netanyahu failed to build a majority coalition in the Israeli parliament.
The longtime premier is also battling corruption charges. The BBC reported Sunday that Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, pled guilty Sunday to charges she misused government resources.
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