RAMAT TRUMP, Golan Heights (AP) — Israeli residents of “Trump Heights” welcome the election of their namesake, hoping that of Donald Trump The return to the American presidency will breathe new life into this small isolated colony in the center of the Golan Heights.

During his first term, Trump became the first and only foreign leader recognize Israel’s control over the Golan, which it seized from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war. Israel thanked it with rename this outpost after him.

But no mass influx of new residents ever materialized after that 2019 ceremony, and only a few dozen families live in Trump Heights, or “Ramat Trump” in Hebrew. Job opportunities are limited and the war waged by Israel for more than a year against Hezbollah militants in neighboring Lebanon has added to the feeling of isolation.

Trump’s election has raised hopes in the community that it will attract more members and also more funding for security improvements.

“Maybe this can bring some more awareness and maybe some support to help here and help our kids here,” said Yarden Freimann, Trump Heights community manager.

Ori Kallner, head of the Golan regional council, showed dozens of plots of land, filled with new asphalt roads, street lights and power lines, that residents have prepared for future housing developments.

“President Trump’s return to the White House is definitely making headlines,” he said.

Hanging on while war rages nearby

Kallner stood next to a metal statue of an eagle and a menorah, symbolizing the United States and Israel, as Israeli warplanes flew over the city. Two rocket explosions fired from Lebanon hit nearby hills, and just across the Lebanese border, plumes of smoke rose into the air from Israeli airstrikes.

A huge sign bearing the settlement’s name in Hebrew and English gleamed in the sun, while two large, sunburnt metal flags of Israel and the United States had become almost unrecognizable.

Surrounded by the ruins of villages fled by Syrians in the 1967 war, the city is perched above the Hula Valley, where Israel has gathered tanks, artillery and troops for its fight in Lebanon. Most towns in the valley have been evacuated. Trump Heights sends his children to a makeshift daycare in a nearby settlement after the government closed all schools in the area following the October 1 invasion of Lebanon.

“We are clawing at our fingernails to be in our own community, without being evacuated, and on the other hand, we cannot work, we cannot send our children to any educational system,” Freimann said .

Trump Heights is only about 12 kilometers from Lebanon and Syria. Fire alerts give residents about a 30-second head start to get to a bomb shelter.

Trump broke with other Golan Heights leaders

Israel annexed the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau overlooking northern Israel, in 1981 in a move that is not internationally recognized.

That changed in March 2019 when Trump, without notice, tweeted that the United States would “fully recognize” Israel’s control over the territory. His announcement sparked widespread condemnation from the international community, which considers the Golan to be occupied Syrian territory and Israeli settlements to be illegal. The Biden administration left the decision intact, but the United States remains the only country to recognize Israeli annexation.

Kallner said he hoped Trump would now persuade European countries to recognize Israeli sovereignty there.

According to Israeli figures, the Golan is home to around 50,000 people – about half of whom are Israeli Jews and the other half Druze Arabs, many of whom still consider themselves Syrians under occupation.

Israel has encouraged and fostered settlements in the Golan, and Druze residents operate farms as well as a tourism and restaurant sector popular with Israelis. But the area has difficulty developing due to its remoteness, several hours from the Israeli economic center of Tel Aviv.

These economic difficulties only worsened during the war, as the hotel sector collapsed. On July 28, a rocket killed 12 Druze children on a football field in the town of Majdal Shams, about 20 kilometers away. Israel invaded Lebanon a few months later.

In June 2019, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led a groundbreaking ceremony for Trump Heights. Then-US Ambassador David Friedman noted that the ceremony took place days after Trump’s birthday and said: “I can’t imagine a more appropriate and beautiful birthday gift.” »

As president, Trump was close to Netanyahu

The recognition of the Golan was part of a series of diplomatic gifts Trump gave Israel during his first term. They understood recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the moving of the American embassy to the disputed city, as well as a series of diplomatic agreements with Arab countries known as the Abraham Accords.

He has sworn to bring peace in the tumultuous region during his second term, but did not specify how.

Netanyahu enjoyed close relations with Trump during his first term, but clashed with the former president when he congratulated Joe Biden on his 2020 victory. The Israeli prime minister announced Tuesday that he was l one of the first foreign leaders to call the president-elect and congratulate him on his victory. An official in his office, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal communications, said his staff was optimistic and giddy.

“Congratulations on the greatest comeback in history!” » said the Israeli leader in a statement. “Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. »

In Trump Heights, Kallner was also optimistic: “The Golan community is strong and resilient, and the people who want to come live here are cut from the same stuff. I believe we will overcome these difficult times and will not stop growing.