https://www.rt.com/news/462020-trump-heights-golan-netanyahu/
Netanyahu opens Trump Heights – a non-existent settlement in illegally-occupied Golan
Published time: 16 Jun, 2019 19:40 Edited time: 16 Jun, 2019 20:39
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Reuters / Ammar Awad
Reuters / Ammar Awad
Standing under an oversized sign for a village his temporary government has no authority to build, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu took his friendship with Donald Trump to a new level by inaugurating Trump Heights in the Golan.
“It is a historic day,” said Israel’s prime minister, standing next to US ambassador David Friedman.
“Many years have passed since a new settlement was established in the Golan Heights. Today it is happening: We are making an important step toward the rise of Trump Heights. It will proudly carry the name of a very great friend of the State of Israel, and I am also very proud to say a great friend of mine.”
Trump later tweeted his gratitude.
His chief opponents for the upcoming vote criticized the ceremony as a cheap pre-election stunt, exploiting Trump’s name (and perhaps taking attention away from his wife Sara's court verdict on the same afternoon).
Also on rt.com Netanyahu’s wife convicted for misusing public funds after racking up $50k in catering bills
“Whoever reads the fine print in this ‘historic decision’ will understand that it is nothing more than a fictitious and non-obligatory resolution – a fake policy,” said Zvi Hauser of the center-left Blue and White party. “There is no budget, there is no plan, there is no location for the settlement and there isn’t really any binding decision to execute the project.”
The settlement currently exists only as a sign. Only 25,000 Israelis have chosen to settle in the Golan Heights since 1967. © Reuters / Ammar Awad
Those outside the country were likely more concerned about Israel’s unwillingness to consider the return of the region, which was occupied and then annexed by Jewish state following the Six Day War in 1967.
On this Netanyahu was unapologetic.
“If it weren't for us, this place would be populated with fanatic Iranian militias,” he said during his speech.
Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48656431
Golan Heights: Israel unveils 'Trump Heights' settlement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gluIVmtwEM4
Image copyright AFP
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a new settlement in the occupied Golan Heights, named after US President Donald Trump.
At a naming ceremony on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said Trump Heights honoured Mr Trump for his decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the territory.
Building work has yet to begin but a sign bearing Mr Trump's name and US and Israeli flags was unveiled.
Critics called the move a publicity stunt with no legal authority.
Israel seized the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. In March, the US became the first country to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the area since Israel effectively annexed it in 1981.
"This is a historic day," said Mr Netanyahu, hailing President Trump as "a friend of Israel".
US Ambassador David Friedman, who attended the ceremony, called the settlement "well deserved, but much appreciated".
Israel's premier pledged in April to name a new settlement after Mr Trump, soon after the president overturned decades of US policy by recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Golan.
The region is located about 60km (40 miles) south-west of the Syrian capital, Damascus, and covers about 1,000 sq km (400 sq miles).
The new settlement is expected to be built near Kela in the northern Golan Heights.
On Sunday, Israel's cabinet approved Mr Netanyahu's resolution for an "initiative to establish" a new Golan Heights community.
But the resolution falls short of declaring the establishment of a settlement, and no money has yet been earmarked for construction.
Political opponents of the scheme have also noted that, legally, no new localities can be established before Israel's elections in September.
"Anyone who reads the fine print in this 'historic' decision will understand that this is nothing more than a nonbinding, fake policy," former cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser told the Times of Israel.
"Let's hope President Trump does not know that his name is being used for this public relations exercise," he added.
Related Topics
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news...the-israeli-town-that-doesn-t-exist-1.7374026
Analysis Welcome to Trump Heights, the Israeli Town That Doesn't Exist
The sign with gilded letters and the dramatic ceremony, just as the president likes, hide the fact that the proposal to establish the new Golan Heights community does not include any actual steps toward building it
Noa Landau
Jun 17, 2019 5:34 AM
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador David Friedman unveil the Ramat Trump sign in the Golan Heights, June 16, 2019.Gil Eliahu
In huge gilded letters (what else?), on a piece of synthetic lawn (of course), a large sign was erected in the Golan Heights, as if taken directly from the best of comedy sketches. Ramat Trump, or Trump Heights, will be built here. Even the strong gusts, which made it difficult to put up the scenery, gave this ridiculous event the atmosphere of an Israeli satire – a moment before a variety of government ministers began their comically dramatic march toward the ceremony.
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We’ll begin at the end. No new community named for U.S. President Donald Trump was actually established on Sunday in the Golan Heights. As even the founder of the Knesset caucus for the Golan, Kahol Lavan MK Zvi Hauser, observed: “Anyone who reads the fine print of the ‘historic’ decision understands that this is a conceptual decision. There is no funding. There is no planning. There is no location and there is really no committed decision. That’s what the ‘Israbluff’" – to borrow a term from Israeli comedy, avoiding a problem with a fictional solution – "of establishing of a new community in the Golan Heights looks like. Salah Shabati at his best,” he added, referring to the 1964 Israeli satire film.
Haaretz Weekly Ep. 31Haaretz
>> Read more: Netanyahu promised to name a 'new' community after Trump. We went there and locals are not pleased ■ Never mind the embassy move and the Golan, Trump's true mark in Israel is on its economy | Opinion
Indeed, the proposal put before the cabinet to found the new community includes no real steps toward its establishment. It's mainly “administrative work,” which in Israeli speak means barely a single meeting around a plate of carbs. Numerous other expressions from the very creative “Israbluff” lexicon appear there in full force: “Formulating recommendations,” "examining a variety of aspects,” “submitting opinions,” “the government notes,” and so on and so forth.
There's just one sentence at the end that reveals the deceit: “When the final government decision is made on the establishment of the community, and insofar as the location of the new town will be in the area of the community of Kela…” There it is. Indeed, no such final decision was made, and it's unclear if after the sign’s installation such a community will ever be established, or will remain a celestial “Trump Heights” – a mythological town that exists only in the imagination.
In the explanatory notes on the government decision, the ruse at our expense continues: “There is importance in advancing the decision as noted at this time to strengthen the diplomatic ties between Israel and the United States.” On the other hand, the joke's not really at our expense, in real financial terms, because the next clause is the most charming: “Economic data and impact on the country’s economy: not relevant.” Finally, a glimmer of truth.
And why isn't it relevant? Because of the clause entitled “legal difficulties, if any, and means of resolving them.” These difficulties certainly exist. A temporary government, like the one that gathered on Sunday in the Golan Heights and is no government at all, can’t make such a decision until elections are held again and a real government is established. The solution? The legal opinion states that the next government will be the one to decide, and is under no obligation to do so at all. And in the meantime, the blathering about “administrative work” will continue and a pretty sign will go up on artificial grass. If a Netanyahu government is elected again, they'll figure out whether and how to resolve it.
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The truth is that the Netanyahu government should be commended for a brilliant move. After all, what does Trump love more than seeing his name in golden letters on a big sign? The main thing is the picture, and who’s going to check afterward whether a community is built there or not. The honor has already been bestowed; the facts are marginal. After all, we live in the age of fake news, as President Trump likes to say.
Noa Landau
Netanyahu opens Trump Heights – a non-existent settlement in illegally-occupied Golan
Published time: 16 Jun, 2019 19:40 Edited time: 16 Jun, 2019 20:39
Get short URL
Reuters / Ammar Awad
Reuters / Ammar Awad
Standing under an oversized sign for a village his temporary government has no authority to build, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu took his friendship with Donald Trump to a new level by inaugurating Trump Heights in the Golan.
“It is a historic day,” said Israel’s prime minister, standing next to US ambassador David Friedman.
“Many years have passed since a new settlement was established in the Golan Heights. Today it is happening: We are making an important step toward the rise of Trump Heights. It will proudly carry the name of a very great friend of the State of Israel, and I am also very proud to say a great friend of mine.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "This is an historic day for us. We are going to do two things: Establish a new community on the Golan Heights, something which has not been done for many years. This is an act of settlement and of Zionism of the first order. pic.twitter.com/CJwqaNID7Q
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 16, 2019
Netanyahu spoke of the name as a symbol of gratitude for the White House decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and Golan as a part of Israel, while Friedman spoke of the settlement as a “beautiful birthday present” to Trump, who turned 73 on Friday.Trump later tweeted his gratitude.
Thank you PM @Netanyahu and the State of Israel for this great honor! https://t.co/OUcf6s98UX
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2019
Despite, a “festive cabinet meeting” to approve the construction of the settlement on the Syrian border, as the head of the interim government who failed to form a ruling coalition after April’s election, Netanyahu has no power to authorize construction. At the earliest, Trump Heights could begin to exist as more than a sign if and when his bloc wins the new election in September.His chief opponents for the upcoming vote criticized the ceremony as a cheap pre-election stunt, exploiting Trump’s name (and perhaps taking attention away from his wife Sara's court verdict on the same afternoon).
Also on rt.com Netanyahu’s wife convicted for misusing public funds after racking up $50k in catering bills
“Whoever reads the fine print in this ‘historic decision’ will understand that it is nothing more than a fictitious and non-obligatory resolution – a fake policy,” said Zvi Hauser of the center-left Blue and White party. “There is no budget, there is no plan, there is no location for the settlement and there isn’t really any binding decision to execute the project.”
The settlement currently exists only as a sign. Only 25,000 Israelis have chosen to settle in the Golan Heights since 1967. © Reuters / Ammar Awad
Those outside the country were likely more concerned about Israel’s unwillingness to consider the return of the region, which was occupied and then annexed by Jewish state following the Six Day War in 1967.
On this Netanyahu was unapologetic.
“If it weren't for us, this place would be populated with fanatic Iranian militias,” he said during his speech.
Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48656431
Golan Heights: Israel unveils 'Trump Heights' settlement
- 16 June 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gluIVmtwEM4
Image copyright AFP
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a new settlement in the occupied Golan Heights, named after US President Donald Trump.
At a naming ceremony on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said Trump Heights honoured Mr Trump for his decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the territory.
Building work has yet to begin but a sign bearing Mr Trump's name and US and Israeli flags was unveiled.
Critics called the move a publicity stunt with no legal authority.
Israel seized the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. In March, the US became the first country to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the area since Israel effectively annexed it in 1981.
"This is a historic day," said Mr Netanyahu, hailing President Trump as "a friend of Israel".
US Ambassador David Friedman, who attended the ceremony, called the settlement "well deserved, but much appreciated".
Israel's premier pledged in April to name a new settlement after Mr Trump, soon after the president overturned decades of US policy by recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Golan.
The region is located about 60km (40 miles) south-west of the Syrian capital, Damascus, and covers about 1,000 sq km (400 sq miles).
The new settlement is expected to be built near Kela in the northern Golan Heights.
On Sunday, Israel's cabinet approved Mr Netanyahu's resolution for an "initiative to establish" a new Golan Heights community.
But the resolution falls short of declaring the establishment of a settlement, and no money has yet been earmarked for construction.
Political opponents of the scheme have also noted that, legally, no new localities can be established before Israel's elections in September.
"Anyone who reads the fine print in this 'historic' decision will understand that this is nothing more than a nonbinding, fake policy," former cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser told the Times of Israel.
"Let's hope President Trump does not know that his name is being used for this public relations exercise," he added.
Related Topics
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news...the-israeli-town-that-doesn-t-exist-1.7374026
Analysis Welcome to Trump Heights, the Israeli Town That Doesn't Exist
The sign with gilded letters and the dramatic ceremony, just as the president likes, hide the fact that the proposal to establish the new Golan Heights community does not include any actual steps toward building it
Noa Landau
Jun 17, 2019 5:34 AM
comments Print
Subscribe now
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- Netanyahu declares establishment of community named after Trump in Golan Heights
- Trump on 'messed up' Israeli election: 'Not happy, get your act together'
- New Israeli community named after U.S. president goes to government approval
In huge gilded letters (what else?), on a piece of synthetic lawn (of course), a large sign was erected in the Golan Heights, as if taken directly from the best of comedy sketches. Ramat Trump, or Trump Heights, will be built here. Even the strong gusts, which made it difficult to put up the scenery, gave this ridiculous event the atmosphere of an Israeli satire – a moment before a variety of government ministers began their comically dramatic march toward the ceremony.
>> Subscribe for just $1 now
We’ll begin at the end. No new community named for U.S. President Donald Trump was actually established on Sunday in the Golan Heights. As even the founder of the Knesset caucus for the Golan, Kahol Lavan MK Zvi Hauser, observed: “Anyone who reads the fine print of the ‘historic’ decision understands that this is a conceptual decision. There is no funding. There is no planning. There is no location and there is really no committed decision. That’s what the ‘Israbluff’" – to borrow a term from Israeli comedy, avoiding a problem with a fictional solution – "of establishing of a new community in the Golan Heights looks like. Salah Shabati at his best,” he added, referring to the 1964 Israeli satire film.
Haaretz Weekly Ep. 31Haaretz
>> Read more: Netanyahu promised to name a 'new' community after Trump. We went there and locals are not pleased ■ Never mind the embassy move and the Golan, Trump's true mark in Israel is on its economy | Opinion
Indeed, the proposal put before the cabinet to found the new community includes no real steps toward its establishment. It's mainly “administrative work,” which in Israeli speak means barely a single meeting around a plate of carbs. Numerous other expressions from the very creative “Israbluff” lexicon appear there in full force: “Formulating recommendations,” "examining a variety of aspects,” “submitting opinions,” “the government notes,” and so on and so forth.
There's just one sentence at the end that reveals the deceit: “When the final government decision is made on the establishment of the community, and insofar as the location of the new town will be in the area of the community of Kela…” There it is. Indeed, no such final decision was made, and it's unclear if after the sign’s installation such a community will ever be established, or will remain a celestial “Trump Heights” – a mythological town that exists only in the imagination.
In the explanatory notes on the government decision, the ruse at our expense continues: “There is importance in advancing the decision as noted at this time to strengthen the diplomatic ties between Israel and the United States.” On the other hand, the joke's not really at our expense, in real financial terms, because the next clause is the most charming: “Economic data and impact on the country’s economy: not relevant.” Finally, a glimmer of truth.
And why isn't it relevant? Because of the clause entitled “legal difficulties, if any, and means of resolving them.” These difficulties certainly exist. A temporary government, like the one that gathered on Sunday in the Golan Heights and is no government at all, can’t make such a decision until elections are held again and a real government is established. The solution? The legal opinion states that the next government will be the one to decide, and is under no obligation to do so at all. And in the meantime, the blathering about “administrative work” will continue and a pretty sign will go up on artificial grass. If a Netanyahu government is elected again, they'll figure out whether and how to resolve it.
Stay up to date: Sign up to our newsletter
Email*
The truth is that the Netanyahu government should be commended for a brilliant move. After all, what does Trump love more than seeing his name in golden letters on a big sign? The main thing is the picture, and who’s going to check afterward whether a community is built there or not. The honor has already been bestowed; the facts are marginal. After all, we live in the age of fake news, as President Trump likes to say.
Noa Landau
