TRUMP HEIGHTS, Israel — Israelis are lining up in droves to settle down in a burgeoning Golan Heights settlement named after former and soon-to-be-again President Donald Trump.
Roughly 50 to 100 residents currently live in Trump Heights, an enclave tucked away deep in deserted former Syrian territory — but another 2,000 are on the waiting list to move in.
”Trump Heights is one of the biggest tourist sites in the region,” said Yaakov Selavan, deputy head of the regional council, to The Post.
Trump’s name is an especially big draw because he was the first — and only — foreign leader to recognize the region of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory during his previous presidential term.
“Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights is something very dear to me and to all of us,” said Yarden Friman, Trump Heights’ de facto mayor. “And I’m optimistic about the future; we haven’t had a single [air raid] alarm since the ceasefire with Hezbollah.”
Building a large and permanent population in Trump Heights isn’t just a fad because of the president-elect’s current popularity, either — it’s viewed as a national security imperative.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week announced a goal to double the Golan region’s population, which now sits at about 50,000 people.
“Strengthening the Golan Heights is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time,” Netanyahu said in a statement last week. “We will continue to hold on to it, make it flourish and settle it.”
https://nypost.com/2024/12/23/world-news/israelis-rush-to-settle-down-in-village-named-after-trump-one-of-biggest-tourist-sites-in-region/