Is Netanyahu's Stunt On The Golan Heights Another Case Of A Foreign National Giving Señor Trumpanzee A Thing Of Value?

No matter what Netanyahu's motivation, Trump was quick to use his gesture as a valuable resource. But could you imagine building a home in a town in a contested war zone named for the most hated man on the planet? I travel to some pretty dangerous places... but I'll be taking a hard pass when it comes to Trump Heights. So far, though, it's just a plaque, not a town. Netanyahu's cabinet and Trump's crackpot ambassador all trekked up to the pile of dirt to inaugurate or commemorate or something-- basically the re-naming of a 30 year old nearly abandoned town, Bruchim (population: 10). It will now be called Ramat Trump, Hebrew for Trumpanzee Heights. At the ceremony, Netanyahu said "The Golan Heights was and will always be an inseparable part of our country and homeland," which sounds an awful like Orwell writing that "The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia."

Ambassador David Friedman: "It’s absolutely beautiful. I can’t think of a more appropriate and a more beautiful birthday present." (Trump had recognized Israeli sovereignty over Syria's Golan Heights, making the U.S. the only country in the world to do so.

One of Bruchim's 10 residents, Rosa Zhernakov, who's lived there since 1991 is excited.

“We hope it will benefit the Golan Heights,” she said, standing outside her bungalow on one of Bruchim’s few streets.

She said the revitalisation of the settlement would mean “more security” for residents from any possible return of the Golan Heights to Syria as part of a future peace treaty.

Syria has demanded a return of the strategic territory, which overlooks northern Israel, as part of any peace deal.

After the devastating civil war in Syria, the prospects of peace talks with Israel anytime soon seem extremely low.

Ramat Trump joins a handful of Israeli places named after American presidents, including a village for Harry S Truman, who first recognised the Jewish state, and George W Bush Plaza, a square the size of a modest living room in central Jerusalem.

Several bureaucratic obstacles will need to be overcome to develop the settlement. With Mr Netanyahu running for re-election in the second national election this year, it remains unclear whether he will be able to complete the task.

Zvi Hauser, an opposition lawmaker who formerly served as Mr Netanyahu’s Cabinet secretary, called Sunday’s ceremony a cheap PR stunt.

“There’s no funding, no planning, no location, and there’s no real binding decision,” he said.

Hauser's statement also included "Anyone who reads the fine print in this 'historic' decision will understand that this is nothing more than a nonbinding, fake policy... Let’s hope President Trump does not know that his name is being used for this public relations exercise... The prime minister must decide whether he really wants to establish a new settlement and deepen our roots in the Golan Heights or whether he is content with creating a virtual reality for the purposes of a photo op."