Residents hope for Israeli settlement named after Trump

Sam McNeil

RAMAT TRUMP, Golan Heights (AP) — Israeli residents of Trump Heights are cheering the election of their namesake, hoping Donald Trump a return to the US presidency would breathe new life into this tiny, remote settlement in the center of the Golan Heights.

During his first term, Trump became the first and only foreign leader. recognize Israeli control over the Golan, which he captured from Syria during the 1967 Middle East War. Israel thanked him rebranding this outpost after him.

But there hasn’t been a large influx of new residents since that 2019 ceremony, and Trump Heights, or “Ramat Trump” in Hebrew, is home to just a couple dozen families. Job opportunities are limited and Israel’s war against Hezbollah militants in neighboring Lebanon, feelings of isolation have increased.

Trump’s election has given the community hope that it will attract more members as well as more funding to improve security.

“Maybe this can raise awareness and maybe some support to help here and help our kids,” said Yarden Freymann, Trump Heights community manager.

Ori Kallner, head of the Golan Regional Council, showed off dozens of plots of land with new paved roads, lamp posts and utilities that residents have prepared for future housing development.

“President Trump’s return to the White House will definitely put the city in the headlines,” he said.

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The entrance to the tiny settlement of Trump Heights in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, where Israelis are cheering the election of their namesake. They hope the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency will breathe new life into the community. Thursday, November 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

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Hold on while the war rages nearby.

Callner stood next to a metal eagle statue and menorah symbolizing the United States and Israel as Israeli warplanes flew overhead. Two rocket explosions fired from Lebanon tore through nearby hills, and just over the border in Lebanon, plumes of smoke from Israeli airstrikes rose into the air.

A huge sign with the name of the settlement in Hebrew and English glittered in the sun, and two large, tanned metal flags of Israel and the United States had faded almost beyond recognition.

Surrounded by the ash ruins of villages fled by Syrians during the 1967 war, the city sits above the Hula Valley, where Israel has amassed tanks, artillery and troops for the fight in Lebanon. Most towns in the valley were evacuated. Trump Heights sends its children to a makeshift kindergarten in a nearby community after the government closed all schools in the region following the Oct. 1 invasion of Lebanon.

“We’re hanging by a thread to stay in our community rather than be evacuated, and on the other hand, we can’t work, we can’t send our kids to any kind of education system,” Freimann said.

Trump Heights is just 7 miles (12 kilometers) from Lebanon and Syria. Alerts about approaching fire give residents about a 30-second head start to get to a bomb shelter.

Trump breaks with other leaders in Golan Heights

Israel annexed the Golan, a strategic plateau overlooking northern Israel, in 1981, a move that was not internationally recognized.

That changed in March 2019, when Trump tweeted without prior notice that the US “fully recognizes” Israel’s control over the territory. His statement drew widespread condemnation from the international community, which considers the Golan to be occupied Syrian territory and Israeli settlements illegal. The Biden administration has upheld the decision, but the US remains the only country to recognize Israel’s annexation.

Kallner expressed hope that Trump will now convince European countries to recognize Israeli sovereignty there.

According to Israeli data, the Golan is home to about 50,000 people – about half of them Israeli Jews and the other half Arab Druze, many of whom still consider themselves Syrians under occupation.

Israel encourages and promotes settlement in the Golan, and Druze residents operate farms and a tourism and restaurant sector popular among Israelis. But the area has struggled to develop due to its remote location, several hours from Israel’s economic center of Tel Aviv.

These economic difficulties only worsened during the war as the hospitality sector collapsed. July 28, rocket killed 12 Druze children at a soccer field in the town of Majdal Shams, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) away. A few months later, Israel invaded Lebanon.

In June 2019, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted the Trump Heights inauguration ceremony. Then-US Ambassador David Friedman noted that the ceremony took place a few days after Trump’s birthday and said, “I can’t think of a more appropriate or more beautiful birthday gift.”

As president, Trump was close to Netanyahu.

The Golan recognition was one of a number of diplomatic gifts Trump gave Israel during his first term. They included recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the relocation of the American embassy to the disputed city, as well as a series of diplomatic agreements with Arab countries known as the Abraham Accords.

He has vowed to bring peace to the troubled region during his second term, but did not say how.

Netanyahu maintained a close relationship with Trump during his first term, but clashed with the former president when he congratulated Joe Biden on his 2020 victory. Israel’s prime minister announced Tuesday that he was one of the first foreign leaders to call the president-elect and congratulate him on his victory. An official in his office, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal communications, said aides were optimistic and easy-going.

“Congratulations on the greatest comeback in history!” This is stated in a statement by the Israeli leader. “Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful reaffirmation of commitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.”

In Trump Heights, Callner was also optimistic: “The Golan community is strong and resilient, and the people who want to come and live here come from the same stuff. I believe that we will overcome these difficult times and continue to grow.”

Originally published: November 8, 2024 01:19 PM EST