Netanyahu Calls For New Golan Heights Settlement Named After Trump For His ‘Historic Decision’
During a tour of the Golan Heights on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he wants to name a new settlement in the region after President Donald Trump. Per Fox News, Netanyahu’s proposed resolution is a show of gratitude for the White House’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.
“I’m here on the beautiful Golan Heights. All Israelis were deeply moved when President Trump made his historic decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Therefore after the Passover holiday I intend to bring to the government a resolution calling for a new community on the Golan Heights named after President Donald J. Trump.”
Last month, Trump formally recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which the Jewish state captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War. According to NBC News, the move was a break from U.S. policy and years of precedent — which some suggest is further evidence of Trump aiding Netanyahu’s militaristic tendencies.
“After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!” Trump tweeted.
Netanyahu tweeted his appreciation minutes later, thanking Trump for the recognition, which he claims comes at a time when Iran is attempting to “use Syria as a platform to destroy Israel.”
Israel to name new town on Golan after Trump – Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu pic.twitter.com/QvdpJeuaBf
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 23, 2019
Trump made this declaration just as Netanyahu was in the midst of a re-election battle — one that he went on to win. The Syrian government called Trump’s move “irresponsible,” and suggested that it created a threat to international peace. Not only that, but Iran’s foreign ministry said that the move would push the region into further instability.
While Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, the move went unrecognized by most of the international community. The 700-square-mile area overlooks the Jordan Rift Valley, which is home to 47,000 people — most of whom are not Israeli.
As The Inquisitr reported, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized Netanyahu earlier this month, and compared him to Trump. She suggested that the Israeli prime minister is part of a rise of authoritarianism taking place across the world.
In regards to Netanyahu’s announced plans to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank — an area the Palestinians hope to establish as their state — Ocasio-Cortez said that U.S. policy must change in terms of its treatment of Israel. As of now, Trump and his White House are viewed as being largely pro-Israel by pro-Palestinian activists.
