Israel renames Golan Heights "Trump Heights"

[FaxModem1]

CBS News

Israel renames Golan Heights town "Trump Heights" in honor of U.S. president
JUNE 16, 2019 / 8:41 PM / AP


The Trump name graces apartment towers, hotels and golf courses. Now it is the namesake of a tiny Israeli settlement in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet convened in this hamlet Sunday to inaugurate a new settlement named after Donald Trump in a gesture of appreciation for the U.S. president's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.

The settlement isn't exactly new. Currently known as Bruchim, it is over 30 years old and has a population of 10 people.

Israel is hoping the rebranded "Ramat Trump," Hebrew for "Trump Heights," will encourage a wave of residents to vastly expand it.

"It's absolutely beautiful," said U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, who attended Sunday's ceremony. Noting that Mr. Trump celebrated his birthday Friday, he said: "I can't think of a more appropriate and a more beautiful birthday present."

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. Most of the international community considers the move illegal under international law.

But during a visit to Washington by Netanyahu in March, just weeks before Israeli elections, Mr. Trump signed an executive order recognizing the strategic mountainous plateau as Israeli territory. The decision, the latest in a series of diplomatic moves benefiting Israel, was widely applauded in Israel.

"Few things are more important to the security of the state of Israel than permanent sovereignty over the Golan Heights," Friedman said. "It is simply obvious, it is indisputable and beyond any reasonable debate."

After the Cabinet decision, Netanyahu and Friedman unveiled a sign trimmed in gold with the name "Trump Heights" and adorned with U.S. and Israeli flags. the president retweeted photos Friedman posted of the event and thanked Netanyahu "and the State of Israel for this great honor!"


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Thank you PM @Netanyahu and the State of Israel for this great honor!

David M. Friedman
✔
@USAmbIsrael
A great day on the Golan. PM Netanyahu and I had the honor to dedicate “Trump Heights” — first time Israel has dedicated a village in honor of a sitting president since Harry Truman (1949). Happy Birthday Mr. President!! @POTUS

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Addressing the ceremony, Netanyahu called Mr. Trump a "great friend" of Israel and described the Golan, which overlooks northern Israel, as an important strategic asset.

"The Golan Heights was and will always be an inseparable part of our country and homeland," he said.

Developing Ramat Trump will not be easy. Ringed by high yellow grass and land mines, it is roughly 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Syrian border and a half hour drive from the nearest Israeli town, Kiryat Shmona, a community of about 20,000 people near the Lebanese border.

According to Israeli figures, almost 50,000 people live in the Golan, including about 22,000 Jewish Israelis and nearly 25,000 Arab Druze residents.

While Israel has encouraged and promoted settlement in the Golan, its remote location, several hours from the economic center of Tel Aviv, has been an obstacle. The area is home to small agriculture and tourism sectors but otherwise has little industry.

The eight-year Syrian civil war, which at times has resulted in spillover fire into the Golan, also could present an obstacle to luring new residents.

Zvi Hauser, an opposition lawmaker who formerly served as Netanyahu's Cabinet secretary, called Sunday's ceremony a cheap PR stunt.

"There's no funding, no planning, no location, and there's no real binding decision," he said.

Ramat Trump joins a handful of Israeli places named after American presidents, including a village for Harry S. Truman, who first recognized the Jewish state, and George W. Bush Plaza, a square the size of a modest living room in central Jerusalem.

I'm really not sure how to label my disgust with this one.

[Ace Pace]

I really can't explain how wrong this article or post title is.

Israel didn't rename the Golan Heights.
Israel didn't rename any existing town to be Trump Heights.

The Israeli government made a symbolic decision to rename a village with ten residents named Trump Heights.

The world press and Trump lap it up, ignoring that this place is a half broken piece of shit with no infrastructure, whose only possible economy is going to be wiped out by any trade agreements with the U.S.


Last, AFAIK the town is a community settlement, meaning quasi socialist. YAY.


Oh and before I forget, fuck the Israeli government.

[The Romulan Republic]

Well, Netenyahu knows the keep to keeping Trump happy: stroke his ego constantly.

[GrosseAdmiralFox]

Oh and before I forget, fuck the Israeli government.

Given how many times that the Palestinians stabbed the hand that Israel was giving them?

My field of fucks for the Palestinians is rather barren.

[mr friendly guy]

AFAIK the Golan is disputed between Israel and Syria, not with the Palestinians, so bringing them up seems irrelevant.

[The Romulan Republic]

AFAIK the Golan is disputed between Israel and Syria, not with the Palestinians, so bringing them up seems irrelevant.

[sarcasm]Well, all them dirty A-rabs are the same, dontcha know?[/sarcasm]

[Ace Pace]

Oh and before I forget, fuck the Israeli government.

Given how many times that the Palestinians stabbed the hand that Israel was giving them?

My field of fucks for the Palestinians is rather barren.

As others have said, what does that have to do with anything?

[mr friendly guy]

I wonder if others can try this trick. Could China renamed a village on the verge of being abandoned due to urbanisation, Trump village. Actually make that a factory so to better stroke Trump's ego.

[loomer]

Oh and before I forget, fuck the Israeli government.

Given how many times that the Palestinians stabbed the hand that Israel was giving them?

My field of fucks for the Palestinians is rather barren.

And what hand would that be? The hand of violent occupation and the seizure of land, property and goods? I'd stab it too.

[Gandalf]

I wonder if others can try this trick. Could China renamed a village on the verge of being abandoned due to urbanisation, Trump village. Actually make that a factory so to better stroke Trump's ego.

China could rename Taiwan "Trump Island Province" and probably get the White House behind unification.

[GrosseAdmiralFox]

As others have said, what does that have to do with anything?

Too many people like to use the 'Fuck Israel' line while completely ignoring the fact that the Palestinians are the bad actors here.

And what hand would that be? The hand of violent occupation and the seizure of land, property and goods? I'd stab it too.

The hand that wanted a two-state solution. Israel has a right to defend itself and given that practically every Palestinian organization is calling for the genocide of the Jewish people...

... and are quite willing to instigate it.

[Tribble]

As others have said, what does that have to do with anything?

Too many people like to use the 'Fuck Israel' line while completely ignoring the fact that the Palestinians are the bad actors here.

And what hand would that be? The hand of violent occupation and the seizure of land, property and goods? I'd stab it too.

The hand that wanted a two-state solution. Israel has a right to defend itself and given that practically every Palestinian organization is calling for the genocide of the Jewish people...

... and are quite willing to instigate it.

In case you are not aware of this, Israel vs Palestine is a banned topic around here.

I’m sure the Mods will be happy to go into more detail... my understanding is that while it’s ok to discuss a particular event (such as this one, and/or if Palestine did something cringeworthy) it’s not ok to bring in the whataboutism and turn this into a full on debate on Israeli vs Palestine. Reason for ban presumably being that this topic quickly turns into an all out flame war that even we find to be a bit too much

Subject to correction of course.

[GrosseAdmiralFox]

In case you are not aware of this, Israel vs Palestine is a banned topic around here.

I’m sure the Mods will be happy to go into more detail... my understanding is that while it’s ok to discuss a particular event (such as this one, and/or if Palestine did something cringeworthy) it’s not ok to bring in the whataboutism and turn this into a full on debate on Israeli vs Palestine. Reason for ban presumably being that this topic quickly turns into an all out flame war that even we find to be a bit too much

Subject to correction of course.

Sorry, just giving some more context that people tend to forget/ignore when it comes to the situation between Israel and Palestine.

[Gandalf]

Where is Palestine in this though?

[Alyrium Denryle]

Oh Look, an unnecessary IVP Diversion. This is a Mod Command to Cease and Desist. Failure to comply will result in thread locking and possible disciplinary action. Also, you probably don't need to 'muricasplain things to Ace Pace, given that he is in fact an Israeli.

[Tribble]

Oh Look, an unnecessary IVP Diversion.

For some reason I read that as “an unnecessary AVP Diversion“ which I admit was a godawful movie and should be banned

Back to the topic, Trump has loyalties no one except himself. While he may superficially appreciate the gesture he’d just as happily throw the Israeli government under the bus the moment he thought he’d be better off doing so. Hell, Trump has no problems having businesses and buildings with his name on it fall apart, I doubt he’d do more than shrug if the settlement blew up tomorrow. Why the Israeli government bothered doing this is beyond me.

[The Romulan Republic]

Because Netanyahu has tied his fortunes and those of his country to Trump, his relations with any Democratic administration are likely to be strained at best as a consequence, and so his best chance of getting that war with Iran/sanctioning of more territorial annexation that he craves is to suck Trump's dick as hard as he can and hope for the best.

Its the same damn pattern as with Republicans, isn't it? They make a deal with the devil because they believe their interests and the devil's temporarily align. Then they, predictably, put themselves in a position where they are dependent on the devil's continued support, and must continue pleasing him.

[mr friendly guy]

Other countries have named public places after previous US presidents as a means to suck up, er I mean improve relations with the US when interests align. It seems a small price for Israel to rename a run down settlement. Stupid media then does the rest and say Israel renamed the entire Golan heights and you have a winner.

[aerius]

Stupid media then does the rest and say Israel renamed the entire Golan heights and you have a winner.

My takeaway from this thread: my 5 year old daughter has better reading comprehension than half the people in this thread. The article straight up says that it's a dinky little village of 10 people that got renamed, and yet the thread title is Golan Heights gets renamed to Trump Heights, and a bunch of folks go "OMG this is disgusting, what a fucking shitbag!" I swear, simply posting the word "Trump" instantly shuts off the higher brain functions of certain folks on this board and makes them go full lizard brain.