The cabinet will convene a special meeting on the Golan Heights on Sunday to approve the establishment of a new community there to be named after US President Donald Trump: Ramat Trump (“Trump Heights”).
This step, according to resolution that will be brought for the government’s approval, will be taken as a way of showing appreciation for Trump’s actions toward Israel across “a wide range of fields, and out of gratitude for the American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.”
The community, to be a mixed secular-religious settlement that in its first stage is expected to number some 120 families, will be set up in the northern Golan at Beruchim, where plans for a previous settlement were approved in 1991, and where there have been unsuccessful efforts over the years to establish a community. Beruchim is near the existing community of Kela Alon.
While there are streets, squares, forests and even an educational village in Israel named after US presidents, this is believed to be the first time that an entire town in the country will be named after one.
According to explanatory material distributed to the ministers ahead of the cabinet meeting, the United States has through the years been Israel’s greatest friend in the international arena.
“During the tenure of President Trump, American support for Israel has even been significantly strengthened,” the explanation read. “This is manifest in a series of decisions taken by the US administration that strengthens the State of Israel in many ways, and solidifies its position in the international arena and in other areas.”
According to this statement, Washington’s support for Israel’s security has increased significantly under Trump, as evidenced by the US standing firmly beside Israel in regard to the Iranian nuclear threat.
The resolution singled out for special mention Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the move of its embassy there, as well as the decision in March to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
The Golan move, the resolution said, is a “significant and historic act that is expected to influence other countries.”
According to the explanation, “There is importance in advancing this decision at this time to strengthen the political ties between the State of Israel and the United States.”