It is now the name of a tiny Jewish settlement in the Golan Heights.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nentanyahu and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman were on hand Sunday when the Bruchim settlement was officially renamed “Trump Heights.”
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” Friedman said. “I can’t think of a more appropriate and a more beautiful birthday present,” he said.
Trump, who celebrated his 73rd birthday Friday, tweeted “Thank you Prime Minister Netanhayu and the State of Israel for this great honor.”
About 10 people live in the small settlement.
The Israeli Cabinet renamed it as a sign of gratitude to Trump for recognizing Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Israel seized the territory from Syria in the Six Day War in 1967 and annexed it in 1981 — a move many nations have called illegal, but which Israel says was essential for its national security.
“The Golan Heights was and always will be an inseparable part of our country,” Netanyahu said Sunday.
Israeli officials hope rebranding the settlement to Trump Heights will lead to new development in the Golan Heights.
But opposition lawmaker Zvi Hauser calls naming the area after Trump a cheap public relations stunt.
“There’s no funding, no planning, no location,” he said.