Netanyahu intends to name a settlement in the Golan Heights after Trump

The Golan Heights.
(Image credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images)

There could soon be signs pointing to Trumptown, Donnieville, or MAGAland in the Golan Heights.

President Trump has been slapping his name on buildings, hotels, steaks, water bottles, defunct airlines, and non-accredited universities for decades, but finally, someone else is doing the work for him. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he wants to name a new settlement in the Golan after Trump, as a way of thanking him for reversing U.S. policy toward the region.

Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and annexed the territory in 1981. This move was widely condemned, and most of the international community does not recognize Israel's sovereignty over the area. Trump tweeted in March that he feels differently, and it's "time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

There are more than 30 Israeli settlements in the Golan, which are considered illegal under international law. Netanyahu said "all Israelis were deeply moved when President Trump made his historic decision," and after the Passover holiday, he will bring a resolution to the government calling for a new community to be named after Trump. Catherine Garcia

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.