Work will begin on planning the community named after President Donald Trump on the Golan Heights, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday.
Speaking during the weekly cabinet meeting Netanyahu declared Israel will begin implementation of a decision announced last year to build a town in honor of Trump.
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Prime Minister Netanyahu at the unveiling of the placard for Trump Heights
(Photo: EPA)
"Today, we will begin practical steps toward establishing the community of Ramat Trump on the Golan Heights, Israel’s sovereignty over which was recognized by President Trump," a statement from Netanyahu's office quoted the leader as saying.
In May 2019, Netanyahu's government announced it would create a residential community on the Golan Heights in honor of the US president after Trump signed an order recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the strategically important plateau captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day-War.
A month later Israel held a ceremony unveiling the place-name sign of the new community bearing the name of Ramat Trump, or Trump Heights.
“There is importance in moving forward with the decision of establishing the settlement at this moment in time in order to strengthen the political ties between Israel and the US,” the statement from Netanyahu's office read.
The move comes as Netanyahu's government is facing controversy over its plan of declaring sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, in accordance with the peace plan put forth by Trump's administration.