By SAM MCNEIL
RAMAT TRUMP, Golan Heights (AP) – Israeli residents of “Trump Heights” welcome the choice of their namesake and hope Donald Trump’s the return of the US presidency will breathe new life into this small, remote settlement in the central Golan Heights.
During his first term, Trump became the first and only foreign leader to recognize Israel’s control of the Golan, which it seized from Syria in the Middle East War of 1967. Israel thanked him by the wayside rename this outpost after him.
But a large-scale influx of new residents never materialized after that 2019 ceremony, and only a few dozen families live in Trump Heights, or “Ramat Trump” in Hebrew. Job opportunities are limited, and Israel’s more than year-long war against Hezbollah militants in neighboring Lebanon has increased the sense of isolation.
Trump’s election has raised hopes in the community that it will attract more members and also more funding for security improvements.
“Maybe it can raise awareness and maybe some support to help here and help our kids here,” said Yarden Freimann, Trump Heights community manager.
Ori Kallner, head of the Golan Regional Council, showed off dozens of plots, filled with new asphalt roads, lampposts and utility lines, that the residents have prepared for future residential development.
“President Trump’s return to the White House definitely puts the city in the headlines,” he said.
On going while the war rages nearby
Kallner stood next to a metal statue of an eagle and a menorah, symbolizing the United States and Israel, as Israeli warplanes flew overhead. Two explosions from rockets fired from Lebanon hit the nearby hills, and just over the border in Lebanon plumes of smoke rose into the air from Israeli airstrikes.
A huge sign with the settlement’s name in Hebrew and English shone in the sun, while two large sun-baked metal flags of Israel and the United States faded almost beyond recognition.
Surrounded by the ashen ruins of villages fled by Syrians during the 1967 war, the city sits above the Hula Valley, where Israel has been massing tanks, artillery and troops for its fight in Lebanon. Most towns in the valley have been evacuated. Trump Heights sends its children to a makeshift kindergarten in a nearby settlement after the government closed all schools in the region in the wake of the Oct. 1 invasion of Lebanon.
“We find ourselves hanging on by our nails to be in our own community, not 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 only about 12 kilometers from Lebanon and Syria. Incoming fire alarms give residents about 30 seconds head start to get to a bomb shelter.
Trump broke with other leaders on the Golan Heights
Israel annexed the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau overlooking northern Israel, in 1981 in a move not recognized internationally.
That changed in March 2019 when, without warning, Trump tweeted that the United States would “fully recognize” Israel’s control of the territory. His announcement led to widespread condemnation from the international community, which considers the Golan occupied Syrian territory and Israeli settlements illegal. The Biden administration left the decision intact, but the United States remains the only country to recognize the Israeli annexation.
Kallner said he hopes Trump will now persuade European countries to recognize Israeli sovereignty there.
According to Israeli figures, the Golan is home to about 50,000 people – about half of them Jewish Israelis and the other half Arab Druze, many of whom still consider themselves Syrians under occupation.
Israel has encouraged and promoted settlements in the Golan, and the Druze residents run farms and a tourism and restaurant sector popular with Israelis. But the area has struggled to develop due to its remote location, several hours from Israel’s financial center of Tel Aviv.
The economic difficulties only worsened during the war as the tourism sector cratered. On July 28, a rocket killed 12 Druze children on a football field in the town of Majdal Shams, about 20 kilometers away. Israel invaded Lebanon months later.
In June 2019, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presided over a dedication ceremony for Trump Heights. The US ambassador at the time, David Friedman, noted that the ceremony came days after Trump’s birthday, saying, “I can’t think of a more fitting and beautiful birthday present.”
As president, Trump was close to Netanyahu
The Golan recognition was among a series of diplomatic gifts Trump delivered to Israel during his first term. They included recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving the US embassy to the disputed city, and a series of diplomatic agreements with Arab countries known as the Abraham Accords.
He has promised to make peace to the tumultuous region in his second term, but has not said how.
Netanyahu had 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 on Tuesday that he was one of the first foreign leaders to call the president-elect and congratulate him to victory. An official in his office, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal communications, said aides were upbeat and giddy.
“Congratulations on the biggest comeback in history!” the Israeli leader said in a statement. “Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful commitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.”
On Trump Heights, Kallner was also optimistic: “Golan society is strong and resilient, and people who want to come and live here come from the same stuff. I believe we will overcome these challenging times and will not stop growing.”
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