Israel launches 'Trump Heights' on Golan, but construction may lag

By Rami Amichay

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony to unveil a sign for a new community named after U.S. President Donald Trump, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights June 16, 2019. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

 

BERUCHIM, Golan Heights (Reuters) - Israel approved in principle on Sunday a new community named after U.S. President Donald Trump on a contested frontier zone with Syria - but construction looked likely to lag given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political stumbles.

 

The "Trump Heights" project is intended to cement ties after Trump broke with other world powers to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the plateau in March.

 

At a special cabinet session in Beruchim, a sparse clutch of homes just 12 km (7.5 miles) from the Golan Heights armistice line with Syria, Netanyahu unveiled a sign labelled "Trump Heights" in English and Hebrew.

 

The sign was decorated with the Israeli and U.S. flags and planted on a patch of synthetic grass.

 

Israel captured the Golan from Syria in a 1967 war and later annexed and settled it - moves not accepted by most world powers, who deem it to be occupied Syrian territory.

 

Ongoing hostilities between Israel and Syria, and internal Syrian fighting that drew Iranian-backed auxiliaries to back Damascus and deploy near the Golan, helped Netanyahu make his case for Trump to recognise the Israeli claim of sovereignty.

 

Trump similarly delighted Israelis - while appalling other world powers - by recognising Jerusalem as their capital and withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

 

"Trump is a great friend of Israel," Netanyahu said.

 

"He has torn the mask off this hypocrisy which doesn't recognise the obvious."

 

"Thank you PM @Netanyahu and the State of Israel for this great honour!" Trump said on Twitter.

 

"DUMMY RESOLUTION"

Israeli authorities hope a revamping of Beruchim, home to an ageing immigrant community from the former Soviet Union, to "Trump Heights" might bring an influx of residents, and Netanyahu called the day historic.

 

But a June 12 memorandum from his office showed the plan was far from implementation: it lacks earmarked funds as well as final approval for its precise location and name.

 

"In this (cabinet) resolution, it is proposed that the name of the community, if it is founded, be 'Trump Heights'," said the memorandum, signed by a deputy legal counsellor, Yael Cohen.

 

The hesitancy was in part due to the fact that Netanyahu heads a caretaker government, having failed to form a coalition after an inconclusive national election in April. The conservative four-term premier must now contest a Sept. 17 re-run vote.

 

Netanyahu's centre-left rivals ridiculed Sunday's ceremony.

 

"Whoever reads the small print on the 'historic' resolution understands that it is a dummy-resolution," tweeted Zvi Hauser, an ex-Netanyahu cabinet secretary now with an opposition party.

 

The political upheaval appears to have put a spanner in the works of a long-awaited U.S. proposal for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Trump advisers had predicted the plan would be made public this month, but officials now say that is unlikely to happen until after the September election.

 

(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-06-17

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Great send Donald there to live a good place for him

All Presidents from Clinton onwards are on record as agreeing that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, only Trump had the balls to officially recognise it as such. It upset a few oil producers and terrorists, tough.

To the victors the spoil, Trump turned out to be Israel's great supporter and benefactor, and it's only befitting that a place of community gathering, living and prospering will be name in his honor...

1 hour ago, Orton Rd said:

All Presidents from Clinton onwards are on record as agreeing that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, only Trump had the balls to officially recognise it as such. It upset a few oil producers and terrorists, tough.

True but only Donald was dumb enough to do it all other presidents had better sense also he is sucking up to the whabi Muslim you know the ones who did the World Trade Center oh that’s rite he wants to help them get nuclear technology and at the same time trying to goad Iran into a war yup he’s a very stable genius dont be a mark

39 minutes ago, ezzra said:

To the victors the spoil, Trump turned out to be Israel's great supporter and benefactor, and it's only befitting that a place of community gathering, living and prospering will be name in his honor...

We are not living in the age of Attila the Hun, Ghengis Khan, or a John Wayne western. In the 21st Century most sane people live under International Law and the Geneva Convention, where you are not allowed to conquer others' land and keep it.  Otherwise every powerful nation in the world would be at it, and we'd have anarchy.

But Israel, Trump and you seem to think you are exempt from such laws.

 

>>a place of community gathering, living and prospering

....and constantly looking over own's shoulder across to Syria, the rightful owners....no way to live in peace with your neighbors.

 

Tacky name. I would be embarrassed to live there.

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Undoubtedly the first of many communities around the world to adopt the name of the best President since Ronald Reagan. 

1 minute ago, Boon Mee said:

Undoubtedly the first of many communities around the world to adopt the name of the best President since Ronald Reagan. 

Nothing Trump ever lasts:

 

http://fortune.com/2018/10/17/trump-place-votes-dump-trump-name/

42 minutes ago, dexterm said:

We are not living in the age of Attila the Hun, Ghengis Khan, or a John Wayne western. In the 21st Century most sane people live under International Law and the Geneva Convention, where you are not allowed to conquer others' land and keep it.  Otherwise every powerful nation in the world would be at it, and we'd have anarchy.

But Israel, Trump and you seem to think you are exempt from such laws.

 

>>a place of community gathering, living and prospering

....and constantly looking over own's shoulder across to Syria, the rightful owners....no way to live in peace with your neighbors.

 

Dozens of bloody wars with untolled number of death, sufferings and displacements have been waged and are ongoing now all over the world despite your premise that we're in the 21st century and the International Law and the Geneva Convention, and the list is too long for this forum, and yes, powerful nations are at it, Russia conquering parts of Ukraine and Georgia and actively engaged in bombing Syrian people, Iran In Iraq and yemen and Lebanon and this is only in the middle east, China in Tibet, India in Kashmir, should i go on?...

Hey I’ll bet that trump heights will be a magnet for every jihadi in the Middle East lol oh how I hope Donald would live there lol

I don't know whose head is buried deeper in the other's posterior, Trump or Netanyahu...

This is pathetic.

Does troll river run through the new town?

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3 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

only Trump had the balls to officially recognise it as such.

Only Trump has the 'balls' to disagree with the American public and side with foreign nations.

• June 2018: 85% of Israelis supported the embassy move, while only 46% of American Jews did. https://apnews.com/ec170f8efeb64169b34f0fed2b432776
• March 2019: Whereas 65% of Americans said they were “more sympathetic” to Israel over the Palestinians in 2018, 59% said the same in 2019, marking a six point drop. That decline is the biggest over a one-year period in the history of the poll, which began in 2001. https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-poll-americans-support-for-israel-declines-to-lowest-point-in-a-decade/

Guess which viewpoint will matter in the 2020 POTUS election?

'Trump Heights', a walled community, I'm sure

Israel's Trump Heights sinks to new depths!

2 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

Israel's Trump Heights sinks to new depths!

When it comes to all things "trump" there is always room to go even LOWER. 

37 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

'Trump Heights', a walled community, I'm sure

Coloring it orange would be a nice touch. With a moat of course.

2 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

Undoubtedly the first of many communities around the world to adopt the name of the best President since Ronald Reagan. 

Probably the first one to file for bankruptcy protection as well.

54 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

'Trump Heights', a walled community, I'm sure

 

16 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Coloring it orange would be a nice touch. With a moat of course.

here is an idea for the gate:

3 hours ago, dexterm said:

We are not living in the age of Attila the Hun, Ghengis Khan, or a John Wayne western. In the 21st Century most sane people live under International Law and the Geneva Convention, where you are not allowed to conquer others' land and keep it.  Otherwise every powerful nation in the world would be at it, and we'd have anarchy.

But Israel, Trump and you seem to think you are exempt from such laws.

 

>>a place of community gathering, living and prospering

....and constantly looking over own's shoulder across to Syria, the rightful owners....no way to live in peace with your neighbors.

 

Tell that to the Arabs that tried to invade Israel countless times. If you can attack an other country and not lose any land after a war what prevents you from doing it the next time. In most conflicts the country that lost paid reparations with money or land. 

 

I guess your a bit bias and think that countries should just be able to attack and if it fails get back to the status quo. 

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

Dozens of bloody wars with untolled number of death, sufferings and displacements have been waged and are ongoing now all over the world despite your premise that we're in the 21st century and the International Law and the Geneva Convention, and the list is too long for this forum, and yes, powerful nations are at it, Russia conquering parts of Ukraine and Georgia and actively engaged in bombing Syrian people, Iran In Iraq and yemen and Lebanon and this is only in the middle east, China in Tibet, India in Kashmir, should i go on?...

Just because other countries are guilty of land theft and ethnic cleansing in the 21st Century doesn't make it right. And worse still to have the USA rubber stamp it.

 

Interesting to note American disapproval in the form of economic sanctions when other countries behave so badly, and yet hypocritically reward Israel when it does the same.

 

Building a squattlement Trump Heights won't make the rightful owners Syria roll over and stop fighting to get it back. Trump has needlessly created yet another obstacle to peace in the region.

2 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

Undoubtedly the first of many communities around the world to adopt the name of the best President since Ronald Reagan. 

Maybe he should move to Israel, as his native New Yorkers are dumping the trump in embarrassment.

5 minutes ago, robblok said:

Tell that to the Arabs that tried to invade Israel countless times. If you can attack an other country and not lose any land after a war what prevents you from doing it the next time. In most conflicts the country that lost paid reparations with money or land. 

 

I guess your a bit bias and think that countries should just be able to attack and if it fails get back to the status quo. 

Israel and its pre-independence terrorists gangs has started every single war with its neighbors apart from 1973 and even then Egypt was only trying to regain occupied territory.

 

Syria will do the same one day. One thing is for sure:  the Trump administration and Israel are the only ones in the world who will ever recognize this illegal annexation. Neat photo op for Netanyahu's re-election bid and a massage for Trump's ego, but that's all.

5 hours ago, ezzra said:

To the victors the spoil, Trump turned out to be Israel's great supporter and benefactor, and it's only befitting that a place of community gathering, living and prospering will be name in his honor...

Hopefully Trump Heights, this monument to monumental vanity, will be razed to the ground when the Golan Heights are returned to their rightful owner. 

I suppose that you don't apply your same thinking to China in the South China or in Ukraine or Crimea. There you want international laws to apply. Examine your conscience.

1 hour ago, robblok said:

Tell that to the Arabs that tried to invade Israel countless times. If you can attack an other country and not lose any land after a war what prevents you from doing it the next time. In most conflicts the country that lost paid reparations with money or land. 

 

I guess your a bit bias and think that countries should just be able to attack and if it fails get back to the status quo. 

The Arabs wanted to restore the lands of the Palestinians who were not consulted before the big powers gave their land away to create Israel. The Jews had a terrorist campaign, bombing British troops at the time (look up the bombing of British soldiers at the King David hotel in Jerusalem). They had a legitimate grievance but lacked the resources to get the land back.

The land is still being stolen. International alas says that annexed territory agreed by a UN mandate cannot just be stolen to expand your own territory. 

%0 years is more than enough for the Palestinians to suffer. Tome for an equitable peace deal which returns to the 1967 borders.

“but construction looked likely to lag”

 

Great. Let The Donald develop it himself, and then file for chapter 9 and stiff all of his (sub) contractors and other creditors, like he has done so many times before in the USA. See if then they still like him so much over there.

Is that the place where people can throw hand-grenades at and to trumpy? It will be very popular ????

I foresee the day when even the residents of "trump" heights can no longer live with that name. They can always cut off the leader T.

Edited June 17, 20197 yr by Jingthing