Ramat Trump? No one asked what we thought
DURING A Pesach holiday tour in the Golan last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel would establish a new settlement on the Heights and name it after Donald Trump.
His decision, designed to appeal to the US President’s well-known penchant for affixing his name to buildings, golf courses, even a university and a winery, was to pay tribute to Mr Trump’s decision in March to recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the land, captured from Syria in 1967.
But it turns out the site chosen by the Israeli government is an already existing village — and some of its residents are not so happy with the decision.
Beruchim, a small village in the northern section of the Golan Heights, was originally founded in 1991 as part of a project by the then Housing Minister Ariel Sharon to build new homes for immigrants from the Soviet Union.
But it failed to attract new residents, despite plans to build 110 new homes. Today, there are only four families living there, among largely abandoned buildings and a small group of young men who hope to establish a pre-military academy there.
It appears they were not consulted over the government’s decision to change the name of Beruchim to Ramat Trump (“Trump Heights”). As the residents of Beruchim discovered Mr Netanyahu was talking about their home, some put up signs on fences there saying “Ramat Trump, not here!” But the Israel Land Authority said plans for the plots could be made public on June 10.