The Israeli government has approved plans to build a new settlement in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights named after President Donald Trump, a minister confirmed on Sunday.
Settlements Minister Tzipi Hotovely wrote on Facebook that her ministry will start preparations for Ramat Trump – Hebrew for “Trump Heights” – to house 300 families.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed it in 1981. Most of the international community considers the move, and Israeli settlements in the territory, illegal under international law.
But Mr Trump signed an executive order recognising the strategic mountainous plateau as Israeli territory in March 2019. The move came during a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just weeks before Israeli elections.
The Israeli government’s approval of the plan, which according to Israeli media will involve earmarking 8 million shekels (Dh8.42m) for developing the town, advances a project announced by Mr Netanyahu last year with great pomp and fanfare. Sunday’s announcement coincided with Trump’s birthday, although it was unclear if it was connected.
Last June, Mr Netanyahu convened his Cabinet in the small hamlet of Qela for a vote on rebranding the community as a gesture of appreciation for the president’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Mr Trump is "a very great friend of Israel who has taken a decision that has never before been taken", he said on unveiling the plan.
The small town of Qela is home to under 300 people. Its original neighbourhood of Bruchim, which will be rebranded as Trump Heights, is home to less than a dozen.
At a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said Israel would “begin practical steps in establishing the community of Ramat Trump on the Golan Heights, Israel’s sovereignty over which was recognised by President Trump.”
About 23,000 Druze – an Arab minority also present in Syria and Lebanon – live in the occupied and annexed portion of the Golan, while 25,000 Israeli settlers have arrived there since 1967.
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Israelis protest against Netanyahu's annexation plan
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People wearing face masks protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to annex parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 6, 2020. Reuters -
People wearing face masks protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to annex parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 6, 2020. Reuters -
Protesters gather in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on June 6, 2020, to denounce Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. AFP -
A woman holds up a sign with the Palestinian flag, a Black Power fist and the slogan 'Resist Apartheid' as Jewish and Arab Israelis protest against US President Donald Trump's 'peace plan' for the Middle East as they march in Tel Aviv, Israel, in June 2020. EPA -
Protesters gather in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on June 6, 2020, to denounce Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to forge ahead with annexing settlements and the Jordan Valley, in line with the peace proposals unveiled by US President Donald Trump. AFP -
Protesters gather in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on June 6, 2020, to denounce Israel's move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank amid Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vow to forge ahead with US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan. AFP -
Protesters gather in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on June 6, 2020, to denounce Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to forge ahead with President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan. AFP -
Protesters gather in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on June 6, 2020, to denounce Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. AFP -
Protesters gather in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on June 6, 2020, to denounce Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. AFP -
Protesters gather in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on June 6, 2020, to denounce Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pledge to forge ahead with the illegal move. AFP -
Jewish and Arab Israelis protest against US President Donald Trump's 'peace plan' for the Middle East conflict as they march in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 6, 2020. EPA
