No, it wasn’t just a publicity stunt. A new Israeli community on the Golan Heights named after former US President Donald Trump this week welcomed its first official residents.

When Israel unveiled Trump Heights (Ramat Trump in Hebrew) back in June 2019 in thanks for US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, it was little more than a fancy sign in an empty field, and critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quipped that it would likely remain that way.

See: Israel Government Meets in “Trump Heights”

David Cohen/Flash90

Bibi’s critics charged him with inaugurating nothing more than a fancy sign to highlight his relationship with the US president.

But away from the limelight, construction got underway, and on Wednesday Daniel and Tsofit Bieber and their two-month-old daughter, Noam Odelia, moved into their new home in Trump Heights.

“Now when people arrive, they will see that there is life here,” Tsofit told Israel’s Channel 12 News.

Michael Giladi/Flash90

Daniel and Tsofit start unpacking in their new home.

An additional 10 families are slated to move into the new community in the coming weeks and months, according to the report.

Notice that the location tag for the Channel 12 reporter’s tweet places him in “Syria.” Unlike Trump, Twitter does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

מתישבים ראשונים ברמת טראמפ: הבוקר נכנסה משפחה ראשונה להתגורר בישוב שנקרא על שם הנשיא האמריקני לשעבר, לאחר שהצהיר על הכרת ארה”ב בריבונות ישראל בגולן.
בימים הקרובים יכנסו למקום משפחות נוספות שיתגוררו בשלב הראשון במגורונים בגודל 55 מר’.
אחר הצהריים יתקיים טקס קביעת מזוזה. pic.twitter.com/kDqFZL33RT

— Rubi Hammerschlag | רובי המרשלג (@rubih67) April 7, 2021