Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu during the president’s visit to Israel in May 2017. Image by Getty

By Aiden Pink April 23, 2019

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he would name a new community in the Golan Heights after President Trump, who recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the disputed area last month.

“All Israelis were deeply moved when President Trump made his historic decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” Netanyahu said in a video posted to his YouTube page, where he was speaking from the Golan. “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.”

President Trump signed a declaration last month recognizing Israeli control of the Golan Heights, which the Jewish state captured from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967. Official U.S. maps have already been altered to show this designation.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Trump is very popular in Israel due to his support for Israeli policies like recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the United States embassy there. After the capital recognition in December 2017, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz pledged to name a Jerusalem train station after Trump. Then-Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said in 2018 that a public square near the new embassy site would also be named after Trump.

Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor for the Forward. You can reach him at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount