Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved to try and get a new settlement in the Golan Heights named after US President Donald Trump to thank him for recognising the Jewish state's sovereignty over the disputed territory.
ADVERTISEMENTIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved to try and get a new settlement in the Golan Heights named after US President Donald Trump to thank him for recognising the Jewish state's sovereignty over the disputed territory.
"All Israelis were deeply moved when President Trump made his historic decision to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights," Netanyahu said on Tuesday during a visit to the area. His wife and their sons Yair and Aven were also present.
"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," he added.
'Strategic and security importance'
The strategic plateau, located east of the Sea of Galilee, was captured and annexed by Israel from Syria following the Six Days War in 1967, in a move not recognised internationally.
Trump announced in March that the US would now recognise the territory as Israeli, arguing it "is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability".
It followed a December 2017 decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, which sparked a global outcry.
The city's status is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The EU, for instance, condemned the decision warning of the "repercussions this may have on the prospect of peace". It also reiterated in March that it "does not recognise Israeli Sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights".