The Israeli government has allocated eight million shekels (about $2.3 million) for the construction of the ‘Trump Heights’ settlement in the occupied Golan Heights, the announcement coincided with Donald Trump’s 74th birthday.
“The initiative to establish a new Golan Heights settlement to be named after President Donald Trump expresses gratitude for his work for the State of Israel and the Golan Heights,” a statement by the government read. The gesture will help to further strengthen political ties between Tel-Aviv and Washington, it added.
The construction of ‘Trump Heights’ will kick off in less than a month, with some 20 families expected to move into the newly built homes later this year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a year ago that a settlement in the Golan Heights would be named after the US president following Trump’s controversial decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the area.
The US’ move faced widespread international condemnation, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres insisting that the status of Golan Heights remained unchanged despite the recognition by Washington.
Israel captured the strategic territory from Syria in 1967 and annexed it 1981, with the international community almost unanimously considering it an illegally occupied territory.
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