Israel has officially named a settlement in the contested Golan Heights territory after President Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gathered with U.S. Ambassador David Friedman on Sunday to inaugurate the name, made in appreciation for Trump’s recognition of Israel’s claim to sovereignty over the the strategic mountainous plateau. Trump signed an executive order recognizing the area as Israeli territory in March. Israel captured Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and annexed it in 1981. The international community largely does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the region. “It is simply obvious, it is indisputable and beyond any reasonable debate,” Friedman said at the ceremony.
Israel hopes the now rebranded “Ramat Trump,” Hebrew for “Trump Heights,” will encourage new residents to move to the Golan settlement, which currently has a population of 10 people. At the ceremony, Netanyahu called Trump a “great friend.” “The Golan Heights was and will always be an inseparable part of our country and homeland,” the prime minister said. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Ambassador 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.”
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