4/23/2019

ISRAEL/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on Tuesday [4-23-19] that he would ask his government to approve naming a new Jewish settlement in the Golan Heights for President Trump, in appreciation of the American leader’s proclamation recognizing Israel’s authority over the long-disputed territory. Mr. Netanyahu’s announcement, made during a Passover tour of the Golan Heights with his family, came a month after Mr. Trump’s proclamation, which delivered a valuable pre-election gift to Mr. Netanyahu even as it upended decades of American policy in the Middle East. Despite facing corruption charges, Mr. Netanyahu has since won a fourth consecutive term in office — a fifth over all — setting him on course to become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, surpassing the record of the founding premier, David Ben Gurion…Situated above the Sea of Galilee, the Israeli-controlled portion of the Golan Heights covers less than 500 square miles, with commanding views over much of northern Israel and into Syria. Syrian forces tried to reclaim the territory in 1973 but were beaten back. The armistice that ended the war left most of the Golan Heights in Israeli hands, and in 1981 Israel passed a law that effectively annexed it.”

Isabel Kershner, “Netanyahu Seeks to Name a Golan Heights Settlement for President Trump,” The New York Times online, April 23, 2019