The Israeli occupation government approved a plan to build a new illegal settlement in the occupied Golan Heights named after US president Donald Trump.
Minister of settlement affairs Tzipi Hotovely wrote on Facebook that her ministry would start preparations for Ramat Trump — Hebrew for “Trump Heights” — to house 300 Jewish families.
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 and Israeli settlements in the territory illegal under international law.
In March 2019 Trump signed an executive order recognizing the strategic mountainous plateau as Israeli territory. The move came during a visit to Washington by Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu just weeks before Israeli elections. Trump’s decision was just one of several steps he made in favor of Israel and in violation of international law.
The Israeli government’s approval of the plan according to the Hebrew media will involve earmarking 8 million shekels ($2.3 million) for developing the settlement.
The settlement project was already announced by Netanyahu last year during a ceremony held in the Golan Heights.
The government made the announcement on Sunday deliberately to mark Trump’s 74th birthday.
“Happy birthday President. You’ve been an incredible friend to Israel and you’ve done extraordinary things for the Jewish state for which we are eternally grateful” Netanyahu said in a tweet on Sunday.
