Trump square: Israeli city latest to announce plan to name site after president

The Israeli city of Petah Tikvah will name a square after Donald Trump, joining a growing list of places named after the president in Israel.

By David Isaac, World Israel News 

A city in central Israel just east of Tel Aviv will name a square in honor of President Donald Trump, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports.

The mayor of Petah Tikvah, Rami Greenberg, announced the move on Monday. The mayor, who has been in his position five months, said he’s doing it because of President Trump’s “unqualified support for the State of Israel,” Maariv reported.

President Trump has made several pro-Israel moves since entering office. He has moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, cut funds to the Palestinian Authority and recognized Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights, among other gestures.

Indeed, the president is perceived as so pro-Israel that a recent Pew Research Center survey found that four-in-10 U.S. Jews say he favors Israel too much.

The square, which is next to the city’s town hall, will be officially named on July 4, America’s Independence Day.

“In the center of the city there is a great history, of the city in particular and of the State of Israel in general,” the mayor said, according to Maariv. “After all, this is the first colony of the State of Israel, and on U.S Independence Day on July 4 we will celebrate this important event with the announcement of a square in the name of President Trump.”

Mayor Greenberg says he’ll invite U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior figures.

The mayor’s move follows other planned namings in Israel after President Trump.

In April, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced in a YouTube video his plan to name a new community on the Golan after the president. In the video, he said:

“I’m here on the beautiful Golan Heights. All Israelis were deeply moved when President Trump made his historic decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Therefore, after the Passover holiday, I intend to bring to the government a resolution calling for a new community on the Golan Heights named after President Donald J. Trump.”

The cornerstone for that new town is expected to be laid as early as next month. The town is expected to have a mixed character, meaning both religious and secular, reports the Hebrew paper Makor Rishon.

Uri Heitner, a settlement leader on the Golan, said, “It’s the realization of a dream, great news for the future of the Golan and its development.”

Similarly, on April 30, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz tweeted that he planned to name a new train station in Jerusalem after President Trump.