By SAM MCNEIL

RAMAT TRUMP, Golan Heights (AP) — Israeli residents of “Trump Heights” hopefully welcome the election of their namesake Donald Trump’s A return to the US presidency would breathe new life into this small, remote settlement in the center of the Golan Heights.

Trump became the first and only foreign leader in his first term Recognize Israeli control of the Golan, It was captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel thanked him rebranding this police station then.

But a large-scale influx of new residents after the ceremony in 2019 never materialized, and only a few dozen families live in Trump Heights, or “Ramat Trump” in Hebrew. Job opportunities are limited and Israel’s war lasts more than a year Hezbollah militants Events in nearby Lebanon increased the sense of isolation.

Trump’s election raised hopes in the community that he would attract more members and provide more funding for security improvements.

“Maybe we can raise more awareness and maybe provide some support here and there to help our kids,” said Yarden Freimann, Trump Heights’ community manager.

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

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

I keep hanging around while the war rages nearby

As Israeli warplanes flew overhead, Kallner stood next to a metal statue of an eagle and menorah symbolizing the United States and Israel. Two rocket explosions fired from Lebanon hit nearby hills, and clouds of smoke billowed into the air from Israeli air strikes just beyond the Lebanese border.

A huge sign bearing the name of the settlement in Hebrew and English glinted in the sun, while two large sun-baked metal flags of Israel and the United States were faded almost beyond recognition.

Surrounded by the ashen ruins of villages fled by Syrians in the 1967 war, the town sits above the Hula Valley, where Israel is amassing tanks, artillery and soldiers for its war in Lebanon. Most of the towns in the valley were evacuated. Trump Heights sends its children to a makeshift daycare in a nearby settlement after the government closed all schools in the area following the Oct. 1 invasion of Lebanon.

“On the one hand, we are hanging on by our nails to be in our own society and not to be evicted, and on the other hand, we cannot work, we cannot send our children to any education system,” Freimann said.

Trump Heights is just 7 miles (12 kilometers) from Lebanon and Syria. Warnings of incoming fire give residents about a 30-second head start to reach the bomb shelter.

Trump broke out with other leaders in the Golan Heights

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

This changed in March 2019, when Trump tweeted without prior notice that the United States would “fully recognize” Israel’s control of the region. His announcement was widely condemned by the international community, which considers the Golan to be occupied Syrian territory and Israeli settlements illegal. The Biden administration left the decision untouched, but the United States remains the only country to recognize Israel’s annexation.