Israel has a bunch of stuff named after American presidents, but I think Trump Heights would be the only town. I wrote about it when it was first announced.

After the next Israeli election, Trump Heights will slowly come into being near the community of Kela Alon named after the oaks that thrive here and which were referenced by the prophets in biblical times. A more recent landmark is Petroleum Road, the remnants of a pipeline which once ran from Saudi Arabia to Lebanon. The pipeline and the road have long since become defunct. One day archeologists will dig them up to unearth their secrets. But for now, Petroleum Road has another secret to tell.

On Yom Kippur, the holiest day of Judaism, Syria and Egypt launched a surprise attack on the Jewish State. Some of the bloodiest battles for survival were fought here as a handful of Israelis held out against overwhelming odds.

On Petroleum Road, Lieutenant Zvika Greengold, 21, with one tank, held off an entire Syrian armored division. Greengold, who had been born in a kibbutz named after the ghetto fighters, destroyed 60 tanks in 30 hours of fighting. His tank was knocked out, his uniform caught on fire, but he never gave up.

Such lopsided battles defined the struggle for the Heights with outnumbered and overwhelmed Israeli forces building temporary walls out of enemy armor while waiting and praying for reinforcements.

Bureaucracy moves slowly everywhere, but the timing here works out pretty well.

The cabinet voted in favor of the initial budget for establishing a new town in the Golan Heights named for US President Donald Trump on Sunday, which is his 74th birthday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted the steps towards establishing “Trump Heights” at the start of the meeting, noting that the current US administration recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

“I thank President Trump and the American government again for standing on the side of truth and justice,” the prime minister added.
Netanyahu announced Trump Heights a year ago, when the government voted to begin planning processes to establish the new town. He unveiled a large sign with gold lettering on the planned site of Trump Heights, near Kela Alon in the western Golan.

It’s a process and not a quick one, but Israel’s population is expanding. The uncertain status of the Golan Heights had created some ambiguity, but now that it’s official, population growth should be increasing.